tibrary  of <t  he  trheoiocjtcal  gminavy 

PRINCETON    •    NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

the  widow  of  George  Dugan,  !96 

B52.575- 


I 


THE     GOSPEL 


ST.     MATTHEW. 


JOHN     MONRO    GIBSON,     M.A.,     D.D., 

London, 

AUTHOR  Of    "THE  ACES   BEFORE  MOSES,"  *'THE   MOSAIC  ERA,**  KTG. 


NEW  YORK: 
A.    C.    ARMSTRONG    AND    SON, 

51  East  10*  Street,  near  Broadway 
1898. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP. 

PAGE. 

I. 

The  Coming  of  the  Christ  ,        «        • 

Matt.  i. 

0 

I 

II. 

His  Reception         •        •        •        •        • 

Matt.  ii. 

13 

III. 

His  Herald     ..•••- 
Matt.  hi.  1-12. 

- 

24 

IV. 

His  Baptism     »••*•• 

Matt.  hi.  13-17. 

31 

V. 

His  Temptation 

Matt.  iv.  i-ii. 

39 

VI. 

Beginning  of  His  Galilean  Ministry  . 

Matt.  iv.  12-25. 

• 

48 

hjl 

The  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom         .        . 
("  Sermon  on  the  Mount") 
Matt,  v.,  vi.,  vii. 

• 

57 

I.  The  Nature  and  Constitution  of  the  Kingdom 

58 

1.  In  Itself  («« The  Beatitudes")    . 

,# 

58 

2.  In  Relation  to  the  World           ,         . 

• 

62 

II.  The  Law  of  the  Kingdom        .         ,         . 

• 

69 

I.  General  Principles            .          .         . 

, 

69 

2.  Illustrations  from  the  Moral  Law       , 

• 

73 

3.  Illustrations  from  Religious  Duty       . 

. 

79 

4.  Duty  in  Relation  to  the  World  and 

the 

Things  of  it 

. 

*5 

(1)  As  regards  the  Good  Things  of  the  World 

86 

(2)  As  regards  the  Evil  in  the  World . 

• 

9i 

. 

95 

COXTEXTS. 


VIII.  The  Signs  of  the  Kingdom 

Matt,  viii.— ix.  35. 

The  Leper 

The  Centurion's  Servant 
The  Fever  Patient 
The  Impulsive  Scribe 
The  Hesitating  Disciple 
The  Storm  Stilled 
Demons  Cast  Out       , 
Sins  Forgiven     .  , 

Death  Vanquished 
Lost  Faculties  Restored 

IX.  The  King's  Ambassadors 

Matt.  ix.  36— x.  42. 

I.  The  Mission  .  , 

II.  The  Commission  .  . 

X.  The  Shadow  of  the  Cro:s 

Matt,  xi.,  xii. 

I.  Discouragements  .         , 

1.  John  in  doubt  , 

2.  The  Unreasonableness  of  the  People 

3.  The  Unbelief  of  the  Cities        . 

II.  The  Contradiction  of  Sinners  . 

XI.  The  Parables  of  the  Kingdom  . 

Matt.  xiii. 
I.  The  Principle  of  Parabolic  Instruction 

II.  The  Group  of  Seven      ... 

XII.  The  Crisis  in  Galilee  |.        •        . 

Matt,  xiv.— xvi.  12. 
I.  The  Banquet  of  Herod  and  the  Feast  of 
II.  Calm  on  the  Mountain  and  Trouble  on  t! 

III.  Israel  after  the  Flesh,  and  Israel  after  the 

IV.  The  Culmination  of  the  Crisis 


107 
109 
1 11 

**3 
114 

117 
118 

122 
128 


132 
137 


•  142 

•  143 
.  143 

•  149 


•  173 

•  175 
.  181 

.  186 

Christ  187 

e  Sea  194 

Spirit  202 

•  213 


COXTENTS. 


rii 


XIII.  The  New  Departure     . 

(Founding  of  the  Church.) 
Matt.  xvi.  13 — xvn.  21. 

I.  The  Christ  ,  #  . 

II.  The  Cros3    .  . 

III.  The  Glory    .         , 

IV.  The  Descent  . 

XIV.  Last  Words  at  Capernaum 

Matt.    vii.  22 — xvni.  35. 
The  Temple  Tribute   , 
The  Little  Ones  . 

Trespasses         ,         t 

XV.  Last  Days  in  Per.ea     . 

Matt.  xix.  i — xx.  16. 

Marriage  and  Divorce 
The  Children      . 
The  Rich  Young  Man 
Danger  of  Riches        . 
Rewards   ,         .         . 

A  VI.  To  Jerusalem         .        • 

Matt.  xx.  17— xxi.  1 7. 
I.  The  Going  Up       .         # 

II.  The  Royal  Entry  . 

XVII.  Conflict  in  the  Temple 

Matt.  xxi.   18—  xxm. 

L  The  Challenge       .         # 

The  Two  Sons  .  # 

The  Husbandmen       # 

The  Marriage  Feast    , 

II.  The  Ordeal  of  Questions 

III.  The  House  left  Desolate 


FACE 
2J9 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


XVIII.  The  Prophecy  on  the  Mount  . 

Matt,  xxiv.,  xxv. 
I.  The  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man        , 
II.  Parables  and  Pictures  of  Judgment . 

I.  The  Sen-ant  set  over  the  Household 
2  and  3.  The  Virgins ;  The  Talents 
4.  The  Final  Separation       ,         . 

XIX.  The  Great  Atonement  Day 

Matt,  xxvi.— xxvii.  56. 
I.  The  Evening         ,         .         . 
II.  The  Night 

III.  The  Morning         .... 

IV.  From  the  Third  to  the  Ninth  Hour  . 


XX.  The  Third  Day  . 

Matt,  xxvii.  57 — xxvm.  15. 
The  Evening  of  the  First  Day 
The  Second  Day 
The  Morning  of  the  Third  Day 


PAGE 

339 

34o 
349 
349 
352 
366 

376 

386 

396 
412 
420 

429 

43o 
432 
433 


XXI.  The  Gospel  for  all  the  Nations  through 

"All  the  Days"  .    •   .    .    .  439 
Matt.  xxvm.  16-20, 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  CHRIST. 

Matt.  I 

THE  New  Testament  opens  appropriately  with  the 
four  Gospels;  for,  though  in  their  present  form 
they  are  all  later  in  date  than  some  of  the  Epistles,  their 
substance  was  the  basis  of  all  apostolic  preaching  and 
writing.  As  the  Pentateuch  to  the  Old  Testament,  so 
is  the  fourfold  Evangel  to  the  New. 

That  there  should  be  a  manifold  presentation  of 
the  great  facts  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  our  faith 
and  hope,  was  both  to  be  expected  and  desired.  The 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  proclaimed  by  the  first 
preachers  of  it,  while  in  substance  always  the  same, 
would  be  varied  in  form,  and  in  number  and  variety 
of  details,  according  to  the  individuality  of  the  speaker, 
the  kind  of  audience  before  him,  and  the  special  object 
he  might  have  in  view  at  the  time.  Before  any  form  of 
presentation  had  been  crystallized,  there  would  therefore 
bean  indefinite  number  of  Gospels,  each  "  according  to  " 
the  individual  preacher  of  "  Christ  and  Him  crucified." 
It  is,  therefore,  a  marvellous  proof  of  the  guidance  and 
control  of  the  Divine  Spirit  that  out  of  these  numerous 
oral  Gospels  there  should  emerge  four,  each  perfect  in 
itself,  and  together  affording,  as  with  the  all-round 
completeness  of  sculpture,  a  life-like  representation  of 

I 


THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  manifestly  of  great  advan- 
tage to  have  these  several  portraits  of  our  Lord,  per- 
mitting us  to  see  Him  from  different  points  of  view, 
and  with  varying  arrangements  of  light  and  shade ;  all 
the  more  that,  while  three  of  them  set  forth  in  abundant 
variety  of  detail  that  which  is  more  external, — the  face, 
the  features,  the  form,  all  the  expression  of  that  wondrous 
Life, — the  fourth,  appropriately  called  on  this  account 
"  the  Gospel  of  the  heart  of  Jesus,"  unveils  more  espe- 
cially the  hidden  riches  of  His  inner  Life.  But,  besides 
this,  a  manifold  Gospel  was  needed,  in  order  to  meet 
the  wants  of  man  in  the  many-sidedness  of  his  develop- 
ment. As  the  heavenly  "city  lieth  four  square,"  with 
gates  on  the  east,  and  the  west,  and  the  north,  and  the 
south,  to  admit  strangers  coming  from  all  points  of 
the  compass ;  so  must  there  be  in  the  presentation  of 
the  Gospel  an  open  door  for  all  mankind.  How  this 
great  purpose  is  attained  by  the  fourfold  Gospel  with 
which  the  New  Testament  opens  can  be  readily  shewn  ; 
and  even  a  brief  statement  of  it  may  serve  a  useful 
purpose  as  introductory  to  our  study  of  that  which  is 
known  as  the  First  Gospel. 

The  inscription  over  the  cross  was  in  three  languages : 
Hebrew,  Latin,  and  Greek.  These  languages  repre- 
sented the  three  great  civilizations  which  were  the  final 
outcome  of  ancient  history — the  Jewish,  the  Roman, 
the  Greek.  These  three  were  not  like  so  many  nations 
selected  at  random,  but  stood  for  three  leading  types 
of  humanity.  The  Jew  was  the  man  of  the  past.  He 
could  claim  Moses  and  the  prophets ;  he  had  Abraham 
for  his  father ;  his  records  went  back  to  the  Genesis  of  all 
things.  He  represented  ancient  prerogative  and  privi- 
lege, the  conservatism  of  the  East.  The  Roman  was 
the  man  of  the  present.     He  was  master  of  the  world. 


L]         THE  COMING  OF  THE   CHRIST.  3 

He  represented  power,  prowess,  and  victory ;  and  while 
serving  himself  heir  to  the  culture  which  came  from 
the  shores  of  the  Egean  Sea,  he  had  combined  with  it 
the  rude  strength  and  restless  activity  of  the  barbarian 
and  Scythian  of  the  North.  The  Greek  was  the  man  of 
the  future.  He  had  lost  his  political  empire,  but  still 
retained  an  empire  in  the  world  of  thought.  He  repre- 
sented humanity,  and  the  ideal,  and  all  the  promise 
which  was  afterwards  to  be  realized  in  the  culture  of 
the  nations  of  the  West.  The  Jew  was  the  man  of 
tradition,  the  Roman  the  man  of  energy,  the  Greek 
the  man  of  thought.  Turning  now  to  the  Gospels,  we 
find  the  wants  of  each  of  these  three  types  provided  for 
in  a  wondrous  way.  St.  Matthew  addresses  himself 
especially  to  the  Jew  with  his  Gospel  of  fulfilment,  St. 
Mark  to  the  Roman  with  "his  brief  and  terse  narrative 
of  a  three  years'  campaign/'  St.  Luke  to  the  Greek  with 
that  all-pervading  spirit  of  humanity  and  catholicity 
which  is  so  characteristic  of  his  Evangel;  while  for 
those  who  have  been  gathered  from  among  the  Jews 
and  Romans  and  Greeks — a  people  who  are  now  no 
longer  Jews  or  Greeks,  but  are  "  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus," 
prepared  to  receive  and  appreciate  the  deeper  things 
of  Christ — there  is  a  fourth  Gospel,  issued  at  a  later 
date,  with  characteristics  specially  adapted  to  them : 
the  mature  work  of  the  then  venerable  John,  the  apostle 
of  the  Christian. 

It  is  manifest  that  for  every  reason  the  Gospel  of 
St.  Matthew  should  occupy  the  foremost  place.  "To 
the  Jew  first "  is  the  natural  order,  whether  we 
consider  the  claims  of  "  the  fathers,"  or  the  necessity 
of  making  it  clear  that  the  new  covenant  was  closely 
linked  to  the  old.  "Salvation  is  of  the  Jews;"  the 
Christ  of  God,  though  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  had 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST  MATTHEW. 


been  in  a  very  special  sense  "  the  Hope  of  Israel,"  and 
therefore  it  is  appropriate  that  He  should  be  repre- 
sented first  from  the  standpoint  of  that  nation.  We 
have,  accordingly,  in  this  Gospel,  a  faithful  setting 
forth  of  Christ  as  He  presented  Himself  to  the  mind 
and  heart  of  a  devout  Jew,  "  an  Israelite  indeed,  in 
whom  was  no  guile,"  rejoicing  to  find  in  Him  One  who 
fulfilled  ancient  prophecy  and  promise,  realized  the  true 
ideal  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  substantiated  His 
claim  to  be  Himself  the  divine  Saviour-King  for  whom 
the  nation  and  the  world  had  waited  long. 

The  opening  words  of  this  Gospel  suggest  that  we 
are  at  the  Genesis  of  the  New  Testament,  the  genesis 
not  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  but  of  Him  who  was 
to  make  for  us  "  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness."  The  Old  Testament  opens 
with  the  thought,  "  Behold  I  make  all  things  ;  "  the  New 
Testament  with  that  which  amounts  to  the  promise, 
"  Behold  I  make  all  things  new."  It  begins  with  the 
advent  of  "  the  Second  Man,  the  Lord  from  Heaven." 
That  He  was  indeed  a  "Second  Man,"  and  not  merely 
one  of  the  many  that  have  sprung  from  the  first  man, 
will  presently  appear ;  but  first  it  must  be  made  clear 
that  He  is  man  indeed,  "  bone  of  our  bone,  flesh  of 
our  flesh;"  and  therefore  the  inspired  historian  begins 
with  His  historic  genealogy.  True  to  his  object, 
however,  he  does  not  trace  back  our  Lord's  descent,  as 
does  St.  Luke,  to  the  first  man,  but  contents  himself 
with  that  which  is  especially  interesting  to  the  Jew, 
setting  Him  forth  as  "the  son  of  David,  the  son 
of  Abraham."  There  is  another  difference  between  the 
genealogies,  of  a  more  serious  kind,  which  has  been 
the  occasion  of  much  difficulty ;  but  which  also  seems 


THE  COMING  OP  THE   CHRIST. 


to  find  readiest  explanation  in  the  different  object  each 
Evangelist  had  in  view.  St.  Luke,  writing  for  the 
Gentile,  is  careful  to  give  the  natural  descent,  while 
St.  Matthew,  writing  for  the  Jew,  sets  forth  that  line 
of  descent — diverging  from  the  other  after  the  time  of 
David — which  made  it  clear  to  the  Jew  that  He  was 
the  rightful  heir  to  the  kingdom.  The  object  of  the 
one  is  to  set  Him  forth  as  the  Son  of  Man;  of  the 
other  to  proclaim  Him  King  of  Israel. 

St.  Matthew  gives  the  genealogy  in  three  great 
epochs  or  stages,  which,  veiled  in  the  Authorized 
Version  by  the  verse  division,  are  clearly  exhibited  to 
the  eye  in  the  paragraphs  of  the  Revised  Version,  and 
which  are  summed  up  and  made  emphatic  at  the  close 
of  the  genealogical  tree  (ver.  17).  The  first  is  from 
Abraham  to  David ;  the  second  from  David  to  the 
captivity  in  Babylon ;  the  third  from  the  captivity  to 
Christ.  If  we  glance  at  these,  we  shall  find  that  they 
represent  three  great  stages  in  the  development  of  the 
Old  Testament  promises  which  find  their  fulfilment  in 
the  Messiah. 

"To  Abraham  and  to  his  seed  were  the  promises 
made/'  As  given  to  Abraham  himself,  the  promise  ran 
thus  :  "  In  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
be  blessed."  As  made  to  David,  it  indicated  that  the 
blessing  to  the  nations  should  come  through  a  king  of 
his  line.  These  were  the  two  great  promises  to  Israel. 
There  were  many  others ;  but  these  stand  out  from 
the  rest  as  constituting  the  mission  and  the  hope  of 
Israel.  Now,  after  long  waiting,  both  are  to  be  ful- 
filled in  Christ.  He  is  the  chosen  Seed  in  Whom  all 
nations  shall  be  blessed.  He  is  the  Son  of  David, 
who  is  to  sit  upon  His  throne  for  ever,  and  reign,  not 
over  Israel  alone,  but  over  men,  as  "  Prince  of  Peace" 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


and  u  King  of  Glory."  But  what  has  the  captivity  in 
Babylon  to  do  with  it  ?  Very  much  ;  as  a  little  reflec- 
tion will  show. 

The  captivity  in  Babylon,  as  is  well  known,  was 
folio  wed  by  two  great  results  :  (i)  it  cured  the  people 
of  idolatry  for  ever,  so  that,  while  politically  the  king- 
dom had  passed  away,  in  reality,  and  according  to  the 
spirit,  it  was  then  for  the  first  time  constituted  as 
a  kingdom  of  God.  Till  then,  though  politically 
separate  from  the  Gentile  nations,  spiritually  Israel 
had  become  as  one  of  them ;  for  what  else  than  a 
heathen  nation  was  the  northern  kingdom  in  the  days 
of  Ahab  or  the  southern  kingdom  in  the  time  of  Ahaz  ? 
But  after  the  captivity,  though  as  a  nation  shattered 
into  fragments,  spiritually  Israel  became  and  continued 
to  be  one.  (2)  The  other  great  result  of  the  captivity 
was  the  Dispersion.  Only  a  small  remnant  of  the 
people  came  back  to  Palestine.  Ten  of  the  tribes 
passed  out  of  sight,  and  but  a  fraction  of  the  other 
two  returned.  The  rest  remained  in  Babylon,  or  were 
scattered  abroad  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Thus 
the  Jews  in  their  dispersion  formed,  as  it  were,  a 
Church  throughout  the  ancient  world, — their  eyes 
ever  turned  in  love  and  longing  to  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem,  while  their  homes  and  their  business  were 
among  the  Gentiles — in  the  world,  but  not  of  it ;  the 
prototype  of  the  future  Church  ot  Christ,  and  the 
soil  out  of  which  it  should  afterwards  spring.  Thus 
out  of  the  captivity  in  Babylon  sprang,  first,  the 
spiritual  as  distinguished  from  the  political  kingdom, 
and,  next,  the  world-wide  as  distinguished  from  the 
merely  national  Church.  Clearly  then  the  Babylonish 
captivity  was  not  only  a  most  important  historical 
event,  but  also  a  stage  in  the  grand  preparation  for 


i.]  THE   COMING  OF  THE   CHRIST.  7 

the  Advent  of  the  Messiah.  The  original  promise 
made  to  Abraham,  that  in  his  seed  should  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed,  was  shown  in  the 
time  of  David  to  be  a  promise  which  should  find  its 
fulfilment  in  the  coming  of  a  king ;  and  as  the  king 
after  God's  heart  was  foreshadowed  in  David,  so  the 
kingdom  after  the  Divine  purpose  was  foreshadowed 
in  the  condition  of  the  people  of  God  after  the  captivity 
in  Babylon,  purified  from  idolatry,  scattered  abroad 
among  the  nations,  with  their  innumerable  synagogues 
(prototypes  of  our  churches)  and  their  peculiarities  of 
faith  and  life  and  worship.  Abraham  was  called  out 
of  Babylon  to  be  a  witness  for  God  and  the  coming 
Christ;  and,  after  the  long  training  of  centuries,  his 
descendants  were  taken  back  to  Babylon,  to  scatter 
from  that  world-centre  the  seed  of  the  coming  kingdom 
of  God.  Thus  it  comes  to  pass  that  in  Christ  and 
His  kingdom  we  see  the  culmination  of  that  wonderful 
history  which  has  for  its  great  stages  of  progress 
Abraham,  David,*  the  Captivity,  Christ. 

So  much  for  the  earthly  origin  of  the  Man  Christ 
Jesus ;  but  His  heavenly  descent  must  also  be  told ; 
and  with  what  exquisite  simplicity  and  delicacy  is  this 
done.  There  is  no  attempt  to  make  the  words  corre- 
spond with  the  greatness  of  the  facts.     As  simple  and 

*  To  some  minds  it  may  present  itself  as  a  difficulty  that  the 
great  name  of  Moses  should  not  find  a  place  in  the  series;  was  not 
he  as  much  of  an  epoch-maker  as  David  ?  The  answer  is  that,  from 
the  point  of  view  of  prophecy  and  promise,  he  was  not.  This,  which 
lies  implicitly  in  St.  Matthew's  summary,  is  set  forth  explicitly  by 
St.  Paul  in  his  epistle  to  the  Galatians,  where  he  shows  that  the  Law, 
as  a  stage  in  the  dealings  of  God  with  the  nation,  did  not  belong  to 
the  main  course  of  development,  but  came  in  as  an  episode,  waa 
M  added  because  of  transgressions  "  (Gal.  iii.  16-19). 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


transparent  as  clear  glass,  they  allow  the  facts  to 
speak  for  themselves.  So  it  is  all  the  way  through 
this  Evangel.  What  a  contrast  here  to  the  spurious 
Gospels  afterwards  produced,  when  men  had  nothing 
to  tell,  and  so  must  put  in  their  own  poor  fictions, 
piously  intending  sometimes  to  add  lustre  to  the  too 
simple  story  of  the  Infancy,  but  only  with  the  effect  of 
degrading  it  in  the  eyes  of  all  men  of  taste  and  judg- 
ment. But  here  there  is  no  need  of  fiction,  no  need 
even  of  rhetoric  or  sentiment.  The  fact  itself  is  so 
great,  that  the  more  simply  it  is  told  the  better.  The 
Holy  One  of  Israel  came  into  the  world  with  no 
tinsel  of  earthly  pomp  ;  and  in  strict  harmony  with 
His  mode  of  entrance,  the  story  of  His  birth  is 
told  with  like  simplicity.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness 
rises  like  the  natural  sun,  in  silence ;  and  in  this 
Gospel,  as  in  all  the  others,  passes  on  to  its  setting 
through  the  heaven  of  the  Evangelist's  thought,  which 
stands,  like  that  other  heaven,  "  majestic  in  its  own 
simplicity." 

The  story  of  the  Incarnation  is  often  represented  as 
incredible;  but  if  those  who  so  regard  it  would  only 
reflect  on  that  doctrine  of  heredity  which  the  science  of 
recent  years  has  brought  into  such  prominence,  if  they 
would  only  consider  what  is  involved  in  the  obvious 
truth  that,  "  that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh,"  they 
would  see  that  it  was  not  only  natural  but  necessary 
that  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  should  be  "on  this  wise." 
Inasmuch  as  "the  first  man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy," 
"  the  Second  Man  "  must  be  M  of  heaven,"  or  He  will  be 
no  Second  Man  at  all ;  He  will  be  sinful  and  earthy  like 
all  the  others.  But  all  that  is  needful  is  met  in  the 
manner  so  chastely  and  beautifully  set  fcrth  by  our 
Evangelist,  in  words  which,  angelic  in  their  tone  and 


i.J  THE   COMING  OF   THE   CHRIST.  9 

like  the  blue  of  heaven  in  their  purity,  so  well  become 
the  angel  of  the  Lord. 

Some  wonder  that  nothing  is  said  here  of  Nazareth 
and  what  took  place  there,  and  of  the  journey  to 
Bethlehem  ;  and  there  are  those  who  are  fain  even  to 
find  some  inconsistency  with  the  third  Gospel  in  this 
omission,  as  if  there  were  any  need  to  wonder  at 
omissions  in  a  story  which  tells  of  the  first  year  on  one 
page  and  the  thirtieth  on  the  next !  These  Gospels  are 
not  biographies.  They  are  memorials,  put  together  for 
a  special  purpose,  to  set  forth  this  Jesus  as  the  Son  of 
God  and  Saviour  of  the  world.  And  the  special  object, 
as  we  have  seen,  of  St.  Matthew  is  to  set  Him  forth 
as  the  Messiah  of  Israel.  In  accordance  with  this 
object  we  have  His  birth  told  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring 
into  prominence  those  facts  only  in  which  the  Evange- 
list specially  recognised  a  fulfilment  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy.  Here  again  the  names  give  us  the  main 
thoughts.  Just  as  Abraham,  David,  Babylon,  suggest 
the  main  object  of  the  genealogy,  so  the  names 
Emmanuel,  Jesus,  suggest  the  main  object  of  the  record 
of  His  birth.  "  All  this  was  done  that  it  might  be 
fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet. " 

The  first  name  mentioned  is  "Jesus."  To  under- 
stand it  as  St.  Matthew  did,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
it  is  the  old  historic  name  Joshua,  and  that  the  first 
thought  of  the  Hebrew  mind  would  be,  Here  is  One 
who  shall  fulfil  all  that  was  typified  in  the  life  and  work 
of  the  two  Old  Testament  heroes  who  bore  that  name, 
so  full  of  hopeful  significance.*  The  first  Joshua  was 
Israel's  captain  on  the  occasion  of  their  first  settlement 

*  The  Hebrew  name  Joshua,  of  which  Jesus  is  simply  the  Greek 
transliteration,  combines  the  two  words  Jehovah  and  Salvation 
(cf.  Num.  xiu.  16.) 


10  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

in  the  land  of  promise  after  the  bondage  in  Egypt ;  the 
second  Joshua  was  Israel's  high  priest  at  their  second 
settlement  in  the  land  after  the  bondage  in  Babylon. 
Both  were  thus  associated  with  great  deliverances ;  but 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other  had  given  the  rest  of  full 
salvation  to  the  people  of  God  (see  Heb.  iv.  8) ;  what 
they  had  done  had  only  been  to  procure  for  them 
political  freedom  and  a  land  they  could  call  their  own, — 
a  picture  in  the  earthly  sphere  of  what  the  Coming 
One  was  to  accomplish  in  the  spiritual  sphere.  The 
salvation  from  Egypt  and  from  Babylon  were  both  but 
types  of  the  great  salvation  from  sin  which  was  to 
come  through  the  Christ  of  God.  These  or  such  as 
these  must  have  been  the  thoughts  in  the  mind  of 
Joseph  when  he  heard  the  angel's  words  :  "  Thou  shalt 
call  His  name  Joshua ;  for  it  is  He  that  shall  save  His 
people  from  their  sins." 

Joseph,  though  a  poor  carpenter  of  Nazareth,  was  a 
true  son  of  David,  one  of  those  who  waited  for  the 
salvation  of  Israel,  who  had  welcomed  the  truth  set 
forth  by  Daniel,  that  the  coming  kingdom  was  to  be 
a  kingdom  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High, — not  of 
political  adventurers,  as  was  the  idea  of  the  corrupt 
Judaism  of  the  time ;  so  he  was  prepared  to  welcome 
the  truth  that  the  coming  Saviour  was  One  who  should 
deliver,  not  from  the  rule  of  Rome,  but  from  the  guilt 
and  power  and  death  of  Sin. 

As  the  name  Joshua,  or  Jesus,  came  from  the  earliest 
times  of  Israel's  national  history,  the  name  Emmanuel 
came  from  its  latest,  even  out  of  the  dark  days  of 
King  Ahaz,  when  the  hope  of  the  people  was  directed 
to  the  birth  of  a  Child  who  should  bear  this  name. 
Some  have  thought  it  enough  to  show  that  there  was 
a  fulfilment  of  this  hope  in  the  time  of  Ahaz,  to  make 


L)  THE  COMING  OF  THE  CHRIST  u 

it  evident  that  St.  Matthew  was  mistaken  in  finding 
its  fulfilment  in  Christ;  but  this  idea,  like  so  many 
others  of  the  same  kind,  is  founded  on  ignorance  of 
the  relation  of  the  Old  Testament  history  to  the  New 
Testament  times.  We  have  seen  that  though  Joshua 
of  the  early  times  and  his  successor  of  the  same  name 
did  each  a  work  of  his  own,  yet  both  of  them  were  in 
relation  to  the  future  but  prototypes  of  the  Great 
Joshua  who  was  to  come.  In  the  same  way  exactly, 
if  there  was,  as  we  believe,  a  deliverance  in  the  time 
of  Ahaz,  to  which  the  prophet  primarily  referred,  it 
was,  as  in  so  many  other  cases,  but  a  picture  of  the 
greater  one  in  which  the  gracious  purpose  of  God, 
manifested  in  all  these  partial  deliverances,  was  to  be 
"fulfilled,"  i.e.,  filled  to  the  full.  The  idea  in  the 
name  "  Emmanuel "  was  not  a  new  one  even  in  the 
time  of  King  Ahaz.  "  I  will  be  with  you  ; "  "  Certainly 
I  will  be  with  you ; "  "  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  you," 
— such  words  of  gracious  promise  had  been  echoed 
and  re-echoed  all  down  the  course  of  the  history  of 
the  people  of  God,  before  they  were  enshrined  in  the 
name  prophetically  used  by  Isaiah  in  the  days  of  King 
Ahaz ;  and  they  were  finally  embodied,  incarnated,  in 
the  Child  born  at  Bethlehem  in  the  fulness  of  the  time, 
to  Whom  especially  belongs  that  name  of  highest  hope, 
"  Emmanuel,"  "God  with  us." 

If,  now,  we  lock  at  these  two  names,  we  shall 
see  that  they  not  only  point  to  a  fulfilment,  in  the 
largest  sense,  of  Old  Testament  prophecy,  but  to  the 
fulfilment  of  that  which  we  all  need  most — the  satis- 
faction of  our  deepest  wants  and  longings.  "God  is 
light;"  sin  is  darkness.  With  God  is  the  fountain 
of  life;  "sin  when  it  is  finished  bringeth  forth  death." 
Here  shines  the  star  of  hope ;  there  lies  the  abyss  of 


12  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

despair.  Now,  without  Christ  we  are  tied  to  sin, 
separated  from  God.  Sin  is  near;  God  is  far.  That 
is  our  curse.  Therefore  what  we  need  is  God  brought 
near  and  sin  taken  away — the  very  blessings  guar- 
anteed in  these  two  precious  names  of  our  Lord. 
As  Emmanuel,  He  brings  God  near  to  us,  near  in  His 
own  incarnate  person,  near  in  His  loving  life,  near  in 
His  perfect  sympathy,  near  in  His  perpetual  presence 
according  to  the  promise,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  As  Jesus,  He  saves 
us  from  our  sins.  How  he  does  it  is  set  forth  in  the 
sequel  of  the  Gospel,  culminating  in  the  sacrifice  of 
the  cross,  "to  finish  the  transgression,  and  to  make 
an  end  of  sins,  and  to  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity, 
and  to  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness."  For  He 
has  not  only  to  bring  God  down  to  us,  but  also  to 
lift  us  up  to  God;  and  while  the  incarnation  effects 
the  one,  the  atonement,  followed  by  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  necessary  to  secure  the  other.  He 
touches  man,  the  creature,  at  his  cradle ;  He  reaches 
down  to  man,  the  sinner,  at  His  cross — the  end  of 
His  descent  to  us,  the  beginning  of  our  ascent  with 
Him  to  God.  There  we  meet  Him  ;  and  saved  from 
sin,  we  know  Him  as  our  Jesus;  and  reconciled  to 
God,  we  have  Him  with  us  as  Emmanuel,  God  with  us, 
always  with  us,  with  us  throughout  all  life's  changes, 
with  us  in  death's  agony,  with  us  in  the  life  to  come, 
to  guide  us  into  all  its  wisdom  and  honour  and  riches 
and  glory  and  blessing. 


II. 

HIS    RECEPTION. 
Matt.  ii. 

THIS  one  chapter  contains  all  that  St.  Matthew 
records  of  the  Infancy.  St.  Mark  and  St.  John 
tell  us  nothing,  and  St.  Luke  very  little.  This 
singular  reticence  has  often  been  remarked  upon,  and 
it  certainly  is  most  noteworthy,  and  a  manifest  sign  of 
genuineness  and  truthfulness:  a  token  that  what  these 
men  wrote  was  in  the  deepest  sense  not  their  own. 
For  if  they  had  been  left  to  themselves  in  the  perform- 
ance of  the  task  assigned  them,  they  could  not  have 
restrained  themselves  as  they  have  done.  The  Jews 
of  the  time  attached  the  greatest  importance  to  child- 
life,  as  is  evident  from  the  single  fact  that  they  had  no 
less  than  eight  different  words  to  mark  the  successive 
stages  of  development  from  the  new-born  babe  up  to 
the  young  man;  and  to  omit  all  reference  to  these 
stages,  except  the  slight  notice  of  the  Infancy  in  this 
chapter,  was  certainly  not  "  according  to  Matthew  '*  the 
Jew,— not  what  would  have  been  expected  of  him  had 
he  been  left  to  himself.  It  can  only  be  explained  by 
the  fact  that  he  spoke  or  was  silent  according  as  he 
was  moved  or  restrained  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  This 
view  is  strikingly  confirmed  by  comparison  with  the 
spurious  Gospels  afterwards   published,  by  men    who 


14  2&Jt   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

thought  they  could  improve  on  the  original  records 
with  their  childish  stories  as  to  what  the  boy  Jesus 
said  and  did.  These  awkward  fictions  reflect  the  spirit 
of  the  age  ;  the  simple  records  of  the  four  Evangelists 
mirror  for  us  the  Spirit  of  Truth.  To  the  vulgar  mind, 
they  may  seem  bare  and  defective,  but  all  men  of 
culture  and  mature  judgment  recognise  in  their  sim- 
plicity and  naturalness  a  note  of  manifest  superiority. 

Much  space  might  be  occupied  in  setting  forth  the 
advantages  of  this  reticence,  but  a  single  illustration 
may  suggest  the  main  thought.  Recall  for  a  moment 
the  well-known  picture  entitled,  "  The  Shadow  of  the 
Cross,"  designed  and  executed  by  a  master,  one  who 
might  surely  be  considered  qualified  to  illustrate 
in  detail  the  life  at  Nazareth.  We  have  nothing 
to  say  as  to  the  merit  of  the  picture  as  a  work  of 
art;  let  those  specially  qualified  to  judge  speak  of 
this;  but  is  it  not  generally  felt  that  the  realism  of 
the  carpenter's  shop  is  most  painful?  The  eye  is 
instinctively  averted  from  the  too  obtrusive  details; 
while  the  mind  gladly  returns  from  the  startling  vivid- 
ness of  the  picture  to  the  vague  impressions  made  on 
us  by  the  mere  hints  in  the  sacred  Scriptures.  Was 
it  not  well  that  our  blessed  Saviour  should  grow  in 
retirement  and  seclusion;  and  if  so,  why  should  that 
seclusion  be  invaded  ?  If  His  family  life  was  with- 
drawn from  the  eyes  of  the  men  of  that  time,  there 
remains  the  same  reason  why  it  should  be  withdrawn 
from  the  eyes  of  the  men  of  all  time ;  and  the  more  we 
think  of  it,  the  more  we  realize  that  it  is  better  in  every 
way  that  the  veil  should  have  been  dropped  just  where 
it  has  been,  and  that  all  should  remain  just  as  it  was, 
when  with  unconscious  skill  the  sacred  artists  finished 
their  perfect  sketches  of  the  child  Jesus. 


it]  HIS  REL&rSION. 


Perhaps,  however,  the  question  may  be  asked :  If 
St.  Matthew  would  tell  us  so  little,  why  say  anything 
at  all  ?  What  was  his  object  in  relating  just  what 
he  has  set  down  in  this  chapter?  We  believe  it 
must  have  been  to  show  how  Christ  was  received.  It 
seems,  in  fact,  to  correspond  to  that  single  sentence 
in  the  fourth  Gospel,  "  He  came  unto  His  own,  and 
His  own  received  Him  not;"  only  St.  Matthew  gives 
us  a  wider  and  brighter  view ;  he  shows  us  not  only 
how  Jerusalem  rejected  Him,  but  how  the  East  wel- 
comed Him  and  Egypt  sheltered  Him.  Throughout  the 
entire  Old  Testament  our  attention  is  called,  not  merely 
to  Jerusalem,  which  occupied  the  centre  of  the  ancient 
world,  but  to  the  kingdoms  round  about,  especially 
to  the  great  empires  of  the  East  and  South — the  empire 
of  the  East  represented  in  succession  by  Ancient 
Chaldea,  Assyria,  Babylonia,  Media,  and  Persia;  and 
that  of  the  South — the  mighty  monarchy  of  Egypt, 
which  under  its  thirty  dynasties  held  on  its  steady 
course  alongside  these.  How  natural,  then,  for  the 
Evangelist  whose  special  mission  it  was  to  connect 
the  old  with  the  new,  to  take  the  opportunity  of 
showing  that,  while  His  own  Jerusalem  rejected  her 
Messiah,  her  old  rivals  of  the  East  and  of  the  South 
gave  Him  a  welcome.  In  the  first  chapter  the  Child 
Jesus  was  set  forth  as  the  Heir  of  the  promise  made 
to  Abraham  and  his  seed,  and  the  fulfilment  of  the 
prophecy  given  to  the  chosen  people;  now  He  is 
further  set  forth  as  the  One  who  satisfies  the  longings 
of  those  whom  they  had  been  taught  to  regard  as  their 
natural  enemies,  but  who  now  must  be  looked  upon 
as  "fellow-heirs"  with  them  of  God's  heritage,  and 
"partakers  of  His  promise  in  Christ  by  the  Gospel." 
It  will   be   seen,  then,  how   the   second   chapter  was 


THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 


needed  to  complete  the  first,  and  how  the  two  together 
give  us  just  such  a  view  of  the  Advent  as  was  most 
needed  by  the  Jews  of  the  period,  while  it  is  most 
instructive  and  suggestive  to  men  of  all  countries  and 
of  all  time.  As,  then,  the  last  paragraph  began  with, 
"Now  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  was  on  this  wise," 
we  may  regard  this  as  beginning  with,  u  Now  the 
reception  of  Jesus  Christ  was  on  this  wise." 

According  to  the  plan  of  these  expositions,  we  must 
disregard  details,  and  many  interesting  questions,  for 
the  consideration  of  which  it  is  surely  enough  to 
refer  to  the  many  well-known  and  widely-read  books 
on  the  Life  of  Christ;  and  confine  ourselves  to  those 
general  thoughts  and  suggestions  which  seem  best 
fitted  to  bring  out  the  spirit  of  the  passage  as  a 
whole. 

Let  us,  then,  look  first  at  the  manner  of  His  recep- 
tion by  Jerusalem,  the  city  which  as  Son  of  David 
He  could  claim  as  peculiarly  His  own.  It  was  the 
very  centre  of  the  circle  of  Old  Testament  illumi- 
nation. It  had  all  possible  advantages,  over  every 
other  place  in  the  world,  for  knowing  when  and  how 
the  Christ  should  come.  Yet,  when  He  did  come, 
the  people  of  Jerusalem  knew  nothing  about  it,  but 
had  their  first  intimation  of  the  fact  from  strangers 
who  had  come  from  the  far  East  to  seek  Him.  And 
not  only  did  they  know  nothing  about  it  till  they 
were  told,  but,  when  told,  they  were  troubled  (ver.  3). 
Indifference  where  we  should  have  expected  eagerness, 
trouble  where  we  should  have  looked  for  joy. 

We  have  only  to  examine  the  contemporary  accounts 
of  the  state  of  society  in  Jerusalem  to  understand 
it  thoroughly,  and  to  see  how  exceedingly  natural 
it  was.      Those  unacquainted  with  these  records  can 


n.J  HIS  RECEPTION.  1 7 

have  no  idea  of  the  gaiety  and  frivolity  of  the  Jewish 
capital  at  the  time.  Every  one,  of  course,  knows 
something  of  the  style  and  magnificence  in  which 
Herod  the  Great  lived ;  but  one  is  not  apt  to  suppose 
that  luxurious  living  was  the  rule  among  the  people 
of  the  town.  Yet  so  it  seems  to  have  been.  Dr. 
Edersheim,  who  has  made  a  special  study  of  this 
subject,  and  who  quotes  his  authorities  for  each 
separate  statement,  thus  describes  *  the  state  of  things  : 
u  These  Jerusalemites — townspeople  as  they  called 
themselves — were  so  polished,  so  witty,  so  pleasant. 
.  .  .  And  how  much  there  was  to  be  seen  and 
heard  in  those  luxuriously  furnished  houses,  and  at 
these  sumptuous  entertainments  1  In  the  women's 
apartments  friends  from  the  country  would  see  every 
novelty  in  dress,  adornments,  and  jewellery,  and  have 
the  benefit  of  examining  themselves  in  looking-glasses. 
.  .  .  And  then  the  lady-visitors  might  get  anything 
in  Jerusalem,  from  a  false  tooth  to  an  Arabian  veil, 
a  Persian  shawl,  or  an  Indian  dress  ! "  Then,  after 
furnishing  what  he  calls  "  too  painful  evidence  of 
the  luxuriousness  at  Jerusalem  at  that  time,  and  of 
the  moral  corruption  to  which  it  led,"  he  concludes 
by  giving  an  account  of  what  one  of  the  sacred  books 
of  the  time  describes  as  '.'  the  dignity  of  the  Jerusa- 
lemites," mentioning  particulars  like  these :  °  the 
wealth  which  they  lavished  on  their  marriages ;  the 
ceremony  which  insisted  on  repeated  invitations  to 
the  guests  to  a  banquet,  and  that  men  inferior 
should  not  be  bidden  to  it;  the  dress  in  which 
they  appeared ;  the  manner  in  which  the  dishes 
were  served,    the   wine   in   white   crystal   vases ;  the 

* Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  vol.  i.,  p.  1 30. 

2 


18  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

punishment  of  the  cook  who  failed  in  his  duty,"  and 
so  on. 

If  things  of  that  kind  represented  the  dignity  of 
the  people  of  Jerusalem,  we  need  not  ask  why  they 
were  troubled  when  they  heard  that  to  them  had 
been  born  in  Bethlehem  a  Saviour  who  was  Christ 
the  Lord.  A  Saviour  who  would  save  them  from 
their  sins  was  the  very  last  thing  people  of  that  kind 
wanted.  A  Herod  suited  them  better,  for  it  was 
he  and  his  court  that  set  the  example  of  the  luxury 
and  profligacy  which  characterised  the  capital.  Do 
not  all  these  revelations  as  to  the  state  of  things 
in  the  capital  of  Israel  set  off  more  vividly  than 
ever  the  pure  lustre  of  the  quiet,  simple,  humble, 
peaceful  surroundings  of  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem  and 
Boy  of  Nazareth  ?  Put  the  "  dignity  "  and  trouble  of 
Jerusalem  over  against  the  humility  and  peace  of 
Bethlehem,  and  say  which  is  the  more  truly  dignified 
and  desirable.  When  we  look  at  the  contrast  we 
cease  to  wonder  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few 
devout  Simeons  and  Annas,  waiting  for  the  consolation 
of  Israel,  Jerusalem,  as  a  whole,  was  troubled  to  hear 
the  rumour  of  the  advent  of  her  Saviour-King. 

Herod's  trouble  we  can  so  readily  understand  that 
we  need  not  spend  time  over  it,  or  over  what  he  did  to 
get  rid  of  it,  so  thoroughly  in  keeping  as  it  was  with  all 
that  history  tells  us  of  his  character  and  conduct.  No 
wonder  that  the  one  thought  in  his  mind  was  "Away 
with  Him!" 

But  who  are  these  truly  dignified  men,  who  are  now 
turning  their  backs  on  rich  and  gay  Jerusalem,  and 
setting  their  faces  to  the  obscurity  and  poverty  of  the 
village  of  Bethlehem  ?  They  are  men  of  rank  and 
wealth  and  learning  from  the  far  East — representatives 


ii.]  BIS  RECEPTION.  19 


of  all  that  is  best  in  the  old  civilizations  of  the  world. 
They  had  only  the  scantiest  opportunities  of  learning 
what  was  the  Hope  of  Israel,  and  how  it  should  be 
realised  ;  but  they  were  earnest  men  ;  their  minds  were 
not  taken  up  with  gaiety  and  frivolity ;  they  had  studied 
the  works  of  nature  till  their  souls  were  full  of  the 
thought  of  God  in  His  glory  and  majesty;  but  their 
hearts  still  yearned  to  know  if  He,  Whose  glory  was  in 
the  heavens,  could  stoop  to  cure  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir 
to.  They  had  heard  of  Israel's  hope,  the  hope  of  a  child 
to  be  born  of  David's  race,  who  should  bring  divine 
mercy  near  to  human  need ;  they  had  a  vague  idea  that 
the  time  for  the  fulfilment  of  that  hope  was  drawing 
near ;  and,  as  they  mused,  behold  a  marvellous  appear- 
ance in  the  heavens,  which  seemed  to  call  them  away 
to  seek  Him  whom  their  souls  desired  !  Hence  their 
long  journey  to  Jerusalem  and  their  eager  entrance  into 
Bethlehem.  Had  their  dignity  been  the  kind  of  dignity 
which  was  boasted  of  in  Jerusalem,  they  would  no  doubt 
have  been  offended  by  the  poverty  of  the  surroundings, 
the  poor  house  with  its  scanty  furniture  and  its  humble 
inmates.  But  theirs  was  the  dignity  of  mind  and  soul, 
so  they  were  not  offended  by  the  poor  surroundings; 
they  recognised  in  the  humble  Child  the  object  of  their 
search;  they  bowed  before  Him,  doing  Him  homage, 
and  presented  to  Him  gifts  as  a  tribute  from  the  East 
to  the  coming  King  of  righteousness  and  love. 

What  a  beautiful  picture ;  how  striking  the  contrast 
to  the  magnificence  of  Herod  the  Great  in  Jerusalem, 
surrounded  by  his  wealthy  and  luxurious  court.  Verily, 
these  were  wise  men  from  the  East,  wise  with  a  wisdom 
not  of  this  world — wise  to  recognise  the  hope  of  the 
future,  not  in  a  monarch  called  "  the  Great/'  surrounded 
by  the  world's  pomp  and  luxury,  but  in  the  fresh  young 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 


life  of  the  holy  heaven-born  Child.  Learned  as  they 
were,  they  had  simple  hearts — they  had  had  some 
glimpse  of  the  great  truth  that  it  is  not  learning  the 
world  needs  so  much  as  life,  new  life.  Would  that  all 
the  wise  men  of  the  present  day  were  equally  wise- 
in  heart !  We  rejoice  that  so  many  of  them  are ; 
and  if  only  all  of  them  had  true  wisdom,  they  would 
consider  that  even  those  who  stand  as  high  in  the 
learning  of  the  new  West  as  these  men  did  in  the 
learning  of  the  old  East,  would  do  themselves  honour 
in  bowing  low  in  presence  of  the  Holy  Child,  and 
acknowledge  that  by  no  effort  of  the  greatest  intellect 
is  it  possible  to  reach  that  truth  which  can  alone 
meet  the  deepest  wants  of  men — that  there  is  no 
other  hope  for  man  than  the  new  birth,  the  fresh,  pure, 
holy  life  which  came  into  the  world  when  the  Christ 
was  born,  and  which  comes  into  every  heart  that  in 
simple  trustfulness  gives  Him  a  welcome  as  did  these 
wise  men  of  old.  There,  at  the  threshold  of  the  Gospel, 
we  see  the  true  relation  of  science  and  religion. 

"  Let  knowledge  grow  from  more  to  more, 
But  more  of  reverence  in  us  dwell ; 
That  mind  and  soul,  according  well, 
May  make  one  music  as  before." 

All  honour  to  these  wise  men  for  bending  low  in  pre- 
sence of  the  Holy  Child ;  and  thanks  be  to  God  for 
allowing  His  servant  Matthew  to  give  us  a  glimpse  of 
a  scene  so  beautiful,  so  touching,  so  suggestive  of  pure 
and  high  and  holy  thought  and  feeling. 

The  gifts  of  the  East  no  doubt  provided  the  means  of 
securing  a  refuge  in  the  South  and  West.  That  Egypt 
gave  the  fugitives  a  friendly  welcome,  and  a  safe 
retreat  so  long  as  the  danger  remained,  is  obvious ;  but 


ii.]  fflS  RECEPTION.  21 

here  again  we  are  left  without  detail.  The  one  thing 
which  the  Evangelist  wishes  to  impress  upon  us  is  the 
parallel  between  the  experience  of  Israel  and  Israel's 
Holy  One.  Israel  of  the  Old  Testament,  born  in 
Palestine,  had  to  flee  into  Egypt.  When  the  time 
was  ripe  for  return,  the  way  was  opened  for  it;  and 
thus  the  prophet  speaks  of  it  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord :  u  When  Israel  was  a  child,  then  I  loved  him, 
and  called  My  son  out  of  Egypt."  Now  that  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel  has  come  to  fulfil  old  Israel's  destiny, 
the  prophetic  word,  which  had  been  only  partially 
realised  in  the  history  of  the  nation,  is  fulfilled  in 
the  history  of  the  Anointed  One.  Htnce,  just  as  it 
happened  with  the  nation,  so  did  it  happen  with  the 
nation's  representative  and  King :  born  in  His  own 
land,  He  had  to  flee  into  Egypt,  and  remain  there 
till  God  brought  Him  out,  and  set  Him  in  His  land 
again. 

Other  points  of  agreement  with  the  prophetic  word 
are  mentioned.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  they  are  all 
connected  with  the  dark  side  of  prophecy  concerning 
the  Messiah.  The  reason  for  this  will  readily  appear 
on  reflection.  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  were  insis- 
tent enough  on  the  bright  side,  the  side  that  favoured 
their  ideas  of  a  great  king,  who  should  rescue  the 
people  from  the  Roman  yoke,  and  found  a  great  world- 
kingdom,  after  the  manner  of  Herod  the  Great  or  of 
Caesar  the  mighty.  So  there  was  no  need  to  bring 
strongly  out  that  side  of  prophecy  which  foretold  of 
the  glories  of  the  coming  King.  But  the  sad  side  had 
been  entirely  neglected.  It  is  this,  accordingly,  which 
the  Evangelist  is  prompted  to  illustrate. 

It  was,  indeed,  in  itself  an  occasion  of  stumbling  that 
the  King  of  Israel  should  have  to  flee  to  Egypt.     But 


22  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

why  should  one  stumble  at  it,  who  looked  at  the  course 
of  Israel's  history  as  a  nation,  in  the  light  the  pro- 
phets threw  upon  it  ?  It  was  an  occasion  of  stumbling 
that  His  birth  in  Bethlehem  should  bring  with  it  such 
sorrow  and  anguish  ;  but  why  wonder  at  it  when  so 
great  a  prophet  as  Jeremiah  so  touchingly  speaks  of 
the  voice  heard  in  Ramah,  u  Rachel  weeping  for  her 
children  and  would  not  be  comforted," — a  thought  of 
exquisite  beauty  and  pathos  as  Jeremiah  used  it  in 
reference  to  the  banished  ones  of  his  day,  but  of  still 
deeper  pathos  as  now  fulfilled  in  the  sorrow  at  Ramah, 
over  the  massacre  of  her  innocents,  when  not  Israel 
but  Israel's  Holy  One  is  banished  from  the  land  of 
His  birth.  Again,  it  was  an  occasion  of  stumbling 
that  the  King  of  Israel,  instead  of  growing  up  in 
majesty  in  the  midst  of  the  Court  and  the  capital, 
should  retire  into  obscurity  in  the  little  village  of 
Nazareth,  and  for  many  years  be  unheard  of  by  the 
great  ones  of  the  land ;  but  why  wonder  at  it  when 
the  prophets  again  and  again  represent  Him  as  grow- 
ing up  in  this  very  way,  as  "a  root  out  of  a  dry 
ground,"  as  a  twig  or  "  shoot  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse," 
growing  up  "out  of  His  place,"  and  attracting  no 
attention  while  He  grew.  Such  is  the  meaning  of 
the  words  translated,  "  He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene." 
This  does  not  appear  in  our  language ;  hence  the 
difficulty  which  many  have  found  in  this  reference, 
there  being  no  passage  in  any  of  the  prophets  where 
the  Christ  is  spoken  of  as  a  Nazarene ;  but  the  word 
to  Hebrew  ears  at  once  suggests  the  Hebrew  for 
"  Branch,"  continually  applied  to  Him  in  the  prophets, 
and  especially  connected  with  the  idea  of  His  quiet  and 
silent  growth,  aloof  from  the  throng  and  unnoticed  by 
the  great, 


iLJ  HIS  RECEPTION.  23 

This  completes,  appropriately,  the  sketch  of  His 
reception.  Unthought  of  by  His  own,  till  strangers 
sought  Him ;  a  source  of  trouble  to  them  when  they 
heard  of  Him  ;  His  life  threatened  by  the  occupant,  for 
the  time,  of  David's  throne,  He  is  saved  only  by  exile, 
and  on  returning  to  His  people  passes  out  of  notice  : 
and  the  great  world  moves  on,  all  unconscious  and 
unconcerned,  whilst  its  Saviour-King  is  preparing,  in 
the  obscurity  of  His  village  home,  for  the  great  work  of 
winning  a  lost  world  back  to  God. 


III. 

JtIS  HERALD. 
Matt.  iii.  1-12. 

THIRTY  years  have  gone  since  all  Jerusalem  was 
in  trouble  at  the  rumour  of  Messiah's  birth.  But 
as  nothing  has  been  heard  of  Him  since,  the  excite- 
ment has  passed  away.  Those  who  were  troubled 
about  it  are  ageing  or  old  or  dead ;  so  no  one  thinks 
or  speaks  of  it  now.  There  have  been  several  political 
changes  since,  mostly  for  the  worse.  Judea  is  now  a 
province  of  Rome,  governed  by  procurators,  of  whom 
the  sixth,  called  Pontius  Pilate,  has  just  entered  on 
his  office.  Society  is  much  the  same  as  before — the 
same  worldliness  and  luxurious  living  after  the  manner 
of  the  Greek,  the  same  formalism  and  bigotry  after 
the  manner  of  the  Scribe.  There  is  no  sign,  in  Jeru- 
salem at  least,  of  any  change  for  the  better. 

The  only  new  thing  stirring  is  a  rumour  in  the 
street.  People  are  telling  one  another  that  a  new 
prophet  has  arisen.  "  In  the  Palace  ?"— "  No."  "In 
the  Temple  ?  " — "  No."  "  Surely  somewhere  in  the 
city  ? " — "  No."  He  is  in  the  wilderness,  clad  in 
roughest  garb,  subsisting  on  poorest  fare — a  living 
protest  against  the  luxury  of  the  time.  He  makes  no 
pretence  to  learning,  draws  no  fine  distinctions,  gives 
no  curious  interpretations,  and  yet,  with  only  a  simple 
message, — which,    however,    he    delivers    as    coming 


fti.  1-12.]  HIS  HERALD.  25 

straight  from  God  Himself, — is  drawing  crowds  to 
hear  him  from  all  the  country  side.  So  the  rumour 
spreads  throughout  the  town,  and  great  numbers  go 
out  to  see  what  it  is  all  about;  some  perhaps  from 
curiosity,  some  in  hope  that  it  may  be  the  dawn  of  a 
brighter  day  for  Israel,  all  of  them  no  doubt  more  or 
less  stirred  with  the  excitement  of  the  thought  that, 
after  so  many  silent  centuries,  a  veritable  prophet  has 
come,  like  those  of  old.  For  it  must  be  remembered 
that  even  in  gay  Jerusalem  the  deep-rooted  feelings 
of  national  pride  and  patriotism  had  been  only  over- 
laid, not  superseded,  by  the  veneer  of  Greek  and 
Roman  civilisation,  which  only  seemed  for  the  moment 
to  satisfy  the  people. 

So  they  go  out  in  multitudes  to  the  wilderness ;  and 
what  do  they  see ?  "A  man  clothed  in  fine  raiment," 
like  the  Roman  officials  in  the  palace,  which  in  those 
degenerate  days  were  Jerusalem's  pride  ?  "A  reed 
shaken  by  the  wind,"  like  the  time-serving  politicians 
of  the  hour  ?  Nay,  verily ;  but  a  true  prophet  of  the 
Lord,  one  reminding  them  of  what  they  have  read 
in  the  Scriptures  of  the  great  Elijah,  who  suddenly 
appeared  in  the  wild  mountain  region  of  Gilead,  at  a 
time  when  Phcenician  manners  were  making  the  same 
havoc  in  Israel  that  Greek  manners  are  now  making 
in  Jerusalem.  Who  can  he  be  ?  He  seems  to  be 
more  than  a  prophet.  Can  he  be  the  Christ?  But 
this  he  entirely  disclaims.  Is  he  Elijah  then  ?  John 
probably  knew  that  he  was  sent  "in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elijah,"  for  so  his  father  had  learned  from 
the  angel  on  the  occasion  of  the  announcement  of  his 
birth  ;  but  that  was  not  the  point  of  their  question. 
When  they  asked,  "  Art  thou  Elijah  ? "  they  meant 
"Art  thou  Elijah  risen  from  the  dead?"     To  this  he 


26  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.    MATTHEW. 

must,  of  course,  answer,  "  No."  In  the  same  way  he 
must  disclaim  identity  with  any  of  the  prophets.  He 
will  not  trade  upon  the  name  of  any  of  these  holy  men 
of  old.  Enough  that  he  comes,  a  nameless  one,  before 
them,  with  a  message  from  the  Lord.  So,  keeping 
himself  in  the  background,  he  puts  his  message  before 
them,  content  that  they  should  recognise  in  it  the 
fulfilment  of  the  well-known  word  of  prophecy:  "A 
voice  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way 
of  the  Lord,  make  His  paths  straight." 

John  wishes  it  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  he 
is  not  that  Light  which  the  prophets  of  old  have  told 
them  should  arise,  but  is  sent  to  bear  witness  to  that 
Light.  He  has  come  as  a  herald  to  announce  the 
approach  of  the  King,  and  to  call  upon  the  people  to 
prepare  for  His  coming.  Think  not  of  me,  he  cries, 
ask  not  who  I  am  ;  think  of  the  coming  King,  and 
make  ready  for  Him, — "  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  make  His  paths  straight." 

How  is  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  be  prepared  ?  Is 
it  by  summoning  the  people  to  arms  all  over  the 
land,  that  they  may  repel  the  Roman  invader  and 
restore  the  ancient  kingdom  ?  Such  a  proclamation 
would  no  doubt  have  struck  a  chord  that  would  have 
vibrated  through  all  the  land.  That  would  have  been 
after  the  manner  of  men ;  it  was  not  the  way  of 
the  Lord.  The  summons  must  be,  not  to  arms,  but 
to  repentance  :  a  Wash  you,  make  you  clean  :  put  away 
the  evil  of  your  doings."  So,  instead  of  marching 
up,  a  host  of  warriors,  to  the  Roman  citadel,  the 
people  troop  down,  band  after  band  of  penitents,  to 
the  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins.  After  all  it  is  the 
old,  old  prophetic  message  over  again, — the  same  which 
had  been  sent  generation  after  generation  to  a  back- 


Hi.  1-12.]  HIS  HERALD.  27 

sliding  people,  its  burden  always  this  :  "  Turn  ye  untc 
Me,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  I  will  turn  unto 
you,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

Like  many  of  the  old  prophets,  JoUn.  taught  by 
symbol  as  well  as  by  word.  The  preparation  needed 
was  an  inward  cleansing,  and  what  more  fitting  symbol 
of  it  than  the  water  baptism  to  which  he  called  the 
nation  ?  "  In  that  day,"  it  was  written  in  the  prophets, 
"  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to  the  house  of 
David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and 
for  uncleanness."  The  prophecy  was  about  to  be 
fulfilled,  and  the  baptism  of  John  was  the  appropriate 
sign  of  it.  Again,  in  another  of  the  prophets  the 
promise  ran,  "Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  clean ;  from  all  your  filthiness 
and  from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you  .  .  .  and 
I  will  put  my  spirit  within  you."  John  knew  well  that 
it  was  not  given  to  him  to  fulfil  this  promise.  He 
could  not  grant  the  real  baptism,  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  but  he  could  baptise  with  water ;  he 
could  give  the  sign  and  assurance  to  the  truly  penitent 
heart  that  there  was  forgiveness  and  cleansing  in  the 
coming  One ;  and  thus,  by  his  baptism  with  water,  as 
well  as  by  the  message  he  delivered,  he  was  preparing 
the  way  of  the  Lord.  All  this,  we  cannot  but  observe, 
was  in  perfect  accord  with  the  wonderful  prophetic 
utterance  of  his  father  Zacharias,  as  recorded  by 
St.  Luke :  "  Thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  prophet 
of  the  Highest :  for  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of 
the  Lord  to  prepare  His  ways ;  to  give  knowledge  of 
salvation  unto  His  people  by  the  remission  of  their 
sins," — not  to  give  salvation,  which  only  Christ  can 
give,  but  the  knowledge  of  it.  This  he  did  not  only 
by  telling  of  the  coming  Saviour,  and,  wThen  He  came, 


28  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

pointing  to  Him  as  "the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world ; "  but  also  by  the  appro- 
priate sign  of  baptism,  which  gave  the  same  knowledge 
in  the  language  of  symbol  addressed  to  the  eye. 

The  summons  of  the  prophet  of  the  wilderness  is 
not  in  vain.  The  people  come.  The  throngs  increase. 
The  nation  is  moved.  Even  the  great  ones  of  the 
nation  condescend  to  follow  the  multitude.  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees,  the  leaders  of  the  two  great  parties 
in  Church  and  State,  are  coming ;  many  of  them  are 
coming.  What  a  comfort  this  must  be  to  the  prophet's 
soul.  How  gladly  he  will  welcome  them,  and  let  it  be 
known  that  he  has  among  his  converts  many  of  the 
great  ones  of  the  land  !  But  the  stern  Baptist  is  a 
man  of  no  such  mould.  What  cares  he  for  rank  or 
position  or  worldly  influence  ?  What  he  wants  is 
reality,  simplicity,  godly  sincerity ;  and  he  knows  that, 
scarce  as  these  virtues  are  in  the  community  at  large; 
they  are  scarcest  of  all  among  these  dignitaries.  He 
will  not  allow  the  smallest  admixture  of  insincerity 
or  hypocrisy  in  what  is,  so  far,  a  manifest  work  of 
God.  He  must  test  these  new-comers  to  the  utter- 
most, for  the  sin  of  which  they  need  most  to  repent 
is  the  very  sin  which  they  are  in  danger  of  com- 
mitting afresh  in  its  most  aggravated  form  in  offering 
themselves  for  baptism.  He  must  therefore  test  their 
motives ;  he  must  at  all  risks  ensure  that,  unless 
their  repentance  is  genuine,  they  shall  not  be  baptised. 
For  their  own  sakes,  as  well  as  for  the  work's  sake 
this  is  necessary.  Hence  the  strong,  even  harsh  lan- 
guage he  uses  in  putting  the  question  why  they  had 
come.  Yet  he  would  not  repel  or  discourage  them. 
He  does  not  send  them  away  as  if  past  redemption, 
but  only  demands  that  they  bring  forth  fruit  worthy 


iiL  1-12.]  HIS  HERALD.  09 

of  the  repentance  they  profess.  And  lest  they  should 
think  that  there  was  an  easier  way  of  entrance  for 
them  than  for  others,  lest  they  should  think  that 
they  had  claims  sufficient  because  of  their  descent, 
he  reminds  them  that  God  can  have  his  kingdom  upon 
earth,  even  though  every  son  of  Abraham  in  the  world 
should  reject  Him  :  u  Think  not  to  say  within  your- 
selves, We  have  Abraham  to  our  father  :  for  I  say 
unto  you,  that  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise 
up  children  unto  Abraham." 

It  is  as  if  he  said,  The  coming  kingdom  of  righteous- 
ness and  truth  will  not  fail,  even  if  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees  and  all  the  natural  children  of  Abraham 
refuse  to  enter  its  only  gate  of  repentance;  if  there 
is  no  response  to  the  Divine  summons  where  it  is  most 
to  be  expected,  then  it  can  be  secured  where  it  is  least 
to  be  expected ;  if  flesh  become  stone,  then  stone  can 
be  made  flesh,  according  to  the  word  of  promise.  So 
there  will  be  no  gathering  in  of  mere  formalists  to  make 
up  numbers,  no  including  of  those  who  are  only  "  Jews 
outwardly."  And  there  will  be  no  half  measures,  no 
compromise  with  evil,  no  parleying  with  those  who  are 
unwilling  or  only  half  willing  to  repent.  A  time  of 
crisis  has  come, — "  now  also  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the 
root  of  the  trees."  It  is  not  lifted  yet.  But  it  is  there 
lying  ready,  ready  for  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard,  when 
He  shall  come  (and  He  is  close  at  hand) ;  then,  "  every 
tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down 
and  cast  into  the  fire." 

Yet  not  for  judgment  is  He  coming, — John  goes  on 
to  say, — but  to  fulfil  the  promise  of  the  Father.  He  is 
coming  to  baptise  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
fire — to  purify  you  through  and  through  and  to  animate 
you  with  a  new  life,  glowing,  upwrad-striving,  heaven- 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


aspiring ;  and  it  is  to  prepare  you  for  this  unspeakable 
blessing  that  I  ask  you  to  come  and  put  away  those 
sins  which  must  be  a  barrier  in  the  way  of  His  coming, 
those  sins  which  dim  your  eyes  so  that  you  cannot  see 
Him,  which  stop  your  ears  so  that  you  cannot  recognise 
your  Shepherd's  voice,  that  clog  your  hearts  so  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  cannot  reach  them, — repent,  repent,  and  be 
baptised  all  of  you ;  for  there  cometh  One  after  me, 
mightier  than  I,  whose  meanest  servant  I  am  not  worthy 
to  be, — He  shall  baptise  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  fire,  if  you  are  ready  to  receive  Him ;  but  if  you 
are  not,  still  you  cannot  escape  Him,  "  Whose  fan  is  in 
His  hand,  and  He  will  throughly  cleanse  His  thresh- 
ing floor;  and  He  will  gather  His  wheat  into  the 
garner,  but  the  chaff  He  will  burn  up  with  unquench- 
able fire"  (R.V.). 

The  work  of  John  must  still  be  done.  It  specially 
devolves  upon  the  ministers  of  Christ ;  would  they  were 
all  as  anxious  as  he  was  to  keep  in  the  background, 
as  little  concerned  about  position,  title,  official  rank. 
or  personal  consideration. 


IV. 

HIS    BAPTISM. 
Matt.  iii.  13-17. 

w  A  I  ^HE  baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  Heaven  or  of 
A  men  ? "  This  question  must  have  been  asked 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  in 
the  days  of  his  mission.  We  know  how  it  was 
answered ;  for  even  after  the  excitement  had  died 
away,  we  are  told  that  "  all  men  counted  John  for  a 
prophet."  This  conviction  would  of  course  prevail  in 
Nazareth  as  well  as  everywhere  else.  When,  therefore, 
the  Baptist  removed  from  the  wilderness  of  Judaea  and 
the  lower  reaches  of  the  Jordan  to  the  ford  of  Bethany, 
or  Bethabara, — now  identified  with  a  point  much  farther 
north,  within  a  single  day's  journey  of  Nazareth, — the 
people  of  Galilee  would  flock  to  him,  as  before  the 
people  of  Judea  and  Jerusalem  had  done.  Among  the 
rest,  as  might  naturally  be  expected,  Jesus  came.  It 
was  enough  for  Him  to  know  that  the  baptism  of 
John  was  of  Divine  appointment.  He  was  in  all  things 
guided  by  His  Father's  will,  to  whom  He  would  day  by 
day  commit  His  way.  Accordingly,  just  as  day  by  day 
He  had  been  subject  to  His  parents,  and  just  as  He 
had  seen  it  to  be  right  to  go  up  to  the  Temple  in 
accordance  with  the  Law,  so  He  recognised  it  to  be  His 
duty  to  present  Himself,  as  His  countrymen  in  such 
large  numbers  were  doing,  to  receive  baptism  from  John. 


32  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

The  manner  of  the  narrative  implies  that  He  came,  not 
as  if  He  were  some  great  person  demanding  special 
recognition,  but  as  simply  and  naturally  as  any  of  the 
rest :  "  Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  the  Jordan 
unto  John,  to  be  baptised  of  him." 

John  looks  at  Him.     Does  he   know    Him   at  all  ? 
Perhaps  not ;  for  though  they  are  cousins,  their  lives 
have  been  lived  quite  apart.     Before  their  birth  their 
mothers  met ;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  they  themselves  have 
seen  each  other  before,  and  even  if  they  have,  in  earlier 
years,  they  may  both  be  so  changed  that  recognition  is 
uncertain.     The  one  has  had  his  home  in  the  South ; 
the  other,  in  the  North.     Besides,  the  elder  of  the  two 
has  spent  his  life  mostly  in  the  desert,  so  that  probably 
he  is   a  stranger  now  even  to   his  own   townspeople, 
and  his  father  and  mother,  both  very  old  when  he  was 
born,  must  be  dead  and  gone  long  ago.     Perhaps,  then, 
John  did  not  know  Jesus  at  all ;  certainly  he  did  not 
yet  know  Him  as  the  Messiah.     But  he  sees  something 
in  Him  that  draws  forth  the  homage  of  his  soul.     Or 
possibly  he  gathers  his  impressions  rather  from  what 
Jesus  says.     All  the  rest  have  confessed  sin ;  He  has 
no  sin  of  His  own  to  confess.     But  words  would  no 
doubt   be    spoken    that   would  convey  to    the    Baptist 
how  this  disciple  looked  on  sin,  how  the  very  thought 
of  it  filled  Him  with  horror,  how  His  whole  soul  longed 
for   the   righteousness  of  God,    how   it  was  a  sacred 
passion  with  Him  that  sin  should  perish  from  the  hearts 
of  men,  and  righteousness  reign  in  its  place.    Whether 
then,  it  was  by  His  appearance,  the  clear  eye,  the  calm 
face, — an  open  window  for  the  prophet  to  look  through 
into  His  soul, — or  whether   it  was  by  the  words  He 
spoke  as  He  claimed  a  share  in  the  baptism,  or  both 
combined,  John  was  taken  aback — surprised  a  second 


iii.  13-17]  HIS  BAPTISM.  33 

time,  though  in  just  the  opposite  way  to  that  in  which 
he  had  been  surprised  before.  The  same  eagle  eye 
that  saw  through  the  mask  of  Pharisee  and  Sadducee 
could  penetrate  the  veil  of  humility  and  obscurity;  so 
he  said :  "  I  have  need  to  be  baptised  of  Thee,  and 
comest  Thou  to  me  ?  " 

Think  of  the  majesty  of  this  John.  Remember  how 
he  bore  himself  in  presence  of  the  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees ;  and  how  he  faced  Herod,  telling  him 
plainly,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  as  it  afterwards  proved, 
"It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  have  thy  brother's 
wife."  Remember  that  all  Judaea,  and  Jerusalem,  and 
Galilee  had  been  bowing  down  in  his  presence ;  and 
now,  when  an  obscure  nameless  One  of  Nazareth 
comes  to  him,  only  as  yet  distinguished  from  others 
by  the  holiness  of  His  life  and  the  purity  of  His  soul, 
John  would  not  have  Him  bow  in  his  presence,  but 
would  himself  bend  low  before  Him  :  "  I  have  need  to 
be  baptised  of  Thee,  and  comest  Thou  to  me  ?  "  Oh 
for  more  of  that  grand  combination  of  lofty  courage  and 
lowly  reverence  !  Verily,  "  among  them  that  are  born 
of  women  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than  John  the 
Baptist." 

But  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  "  Suffer  it  now  ; 
for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness " 
(R.V.).  Though  about  to  enter  on  His  Messianic  work, 
He  has  not  yet  taken  its  burden  on  Him  ;  accordingly 
He  comes,  not  as  Messiah,  but  in  the  simplest  and 
most  unassuming  way;  content  still,  as  He  has  been 
all  along  till  now,  to  be  reckoned  simply  as  of  Israel. 
This  is  what  we  take  to  be  the  force  of  the  plural 
pronoun  "  us." 

On  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
Jesus  must  have  recognised  in   the  summons  to  the 


34  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Jordan  a  call  to  commence  His  work  as  Messiah.  He 
would  certainly  have  heard  from  His  mother  of  the 
prophetic  words  which  had  been  spoken  concerning 
His  cousin  and  Himself;  and  would,  therefore,  as  soon 
as  He  heard  of  the  mission  of  John,  know  well  what 
it  meant — He  could  not  but  know  that  John  was 
preparing  the  way  before  Him,  and  therefore  that  His 
time  was  close  at  hand.  Of  this,  too,  we  have  an 
indication  in  His  answer  to  the  expostulation  of  John. 
"  Suffer  it  now,"  He  says ;  as  if  to  say,  I  am  as  yet 
only  one  of  Israel ;  My  time  is  at  hand,  when  I  must 
take  the  position  to  which  I  am  called,  but  meantime 
I  come  as  the  rest  come  :  "Suffer  it  now  ;  for  thus  it 
becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness." 

While  then  Jesus  came  simply  in  obedience  to  the 
will  of  God,  He  must  have  come  with  a  very  heavy 
burden.  His  study  of  the  Scriptures  must  have  made 
Him  painfully  familiar  with  the  dark  prospects  before 
Him.  Well  did  He  know  that  the  path  of  the  Messiah 
must  be  one  of  suffering,  that  He  must  be  despised 
and  rejected,  that  He  must  be  wounded  for  the  people's 
transgressions  and  bruised  for  their  iniquity ;  that,  in 
a  word,  He  must  be  the  suffering  Priest  before  He  can 
be  the  reigning  King.  This  thought  of  His  priesthood 
must  have  been  especially  borne  in  upon  Him  now 
that  He  had  just  reached  the  priestly  age.  In  His 
thirteenth  year — the  Temple  age — He  had  gone  to  the 
Temple,  and  now  at  the  age  when  the  priest  is  con- 
secrated to  his  office,  He  is  summoned  to  the  Jordan, 
to  be  baptised  by  one  whom  He  knows  to  be  sent  of 
God  to  prepare  the  way  before  Him.  Those  Scriptures, 
then,  which  speak  of  the  priestly  office  the  Messiah 
must  fill,  must  have  been  very  much  in  His  mind  as 
He  came  to  John  and  offered  Himself  to  be  baptised. 


iii.  13-17.]  HIS  BAPTISM.  35 

And  of  all  these  Scriptures  none  would  seem  more 
appropriate  at  the  moment  than  those  words  of  the 
fortieth  Psalm :  tl  Lo,  I  come :  in  the  volume  of  the 
book  it  is  written  of  Me,  I  delight  to  do  Thy  will, 
O  My  God." 

At  this  point  we  can  readily  see  the  appropriate- 
ness of  His  baptism,  and  also  an  element  in  common 
between  it  and  that  of  the  people.  They  had  come 
professing  to  be  willing  to  do  the  will  of  God  by  turning 
from  sin  to  righteousness.  He  had  no  need  to  turn 
from  sin  to  do  the  will  of  God ;  but  He  had  to  turn 
from  the  quiet  and  peaceful  home  life  at  Nazareth, 
that  He  might  take  up  the  burden  laid  upon  Him  as 
Messiah.  So  He  as  well  as  they  had  to  leave  the  old 
life  and  begin  a  new  one;  and  in  this  we  can  see 
how  fitting  it  was  that  He  as  well  as  they  should  be 
baptised.  Then,  just  as  by  baptism — the  symbol,  in 
their  case,  of  separation  from  sin  and  consecration  to 
God — John  made  "  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the 
Lord ; "  so  by  baptism — the  symbol,  in  His  case,  of 
separation  from  private  life  and  consecration  to  God 
in  the  office  of  Messiah, — the  Lord  was  made  ready 
for  the  people.  By  baptism  John  opened  the  door  of 
the  new  Kingdom.  From  the  wilderness  of  sin  the 
people  entered  it  as  subjects;  from  the  seclusion  of 
private  life  Jesus  entered  it  as  King  and  Priest.  They 
came  under  a  vow  of  obedience  unto  Him ;  He  came 
under  a  vow  of  obedience  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  Cross. 

This,  then,  is  the  moment  of  His  taking  up  the 
Cross.  It  is  indeed  the  assumption  of  His  royalty  as 
Messiah-King ;  but  then  He  knew  that  He  must  suffer 
and  die  before  He  could  enter  on  His  glory  ;  therefore, 
as  the  first  great  duty  before  Him,  He  takes  up  the 


36  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Cross.  In  this  we  can  see  a  still  further  appro- 
priateness in  the  words  already  quoted,  as  is  suggested 
in  the  well-known  passage  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  :  "  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  wouldest  not, 
but  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  me  :  in  burnt  offerings 
and  sacrifices  for  sin  thou  hast  had  no  pleasure.  Then 
said  I,  Lo,  I  come  (in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is 
written  of  me)  to  do  thy  will,  O  God."  Ah,  who  can 
understand  the  love  in  the  heart  of  Jesus,  who  can 
measure  the  sacrifice  He  makes,  as  He  bends  before 
John,  and  is  baptised  into  the  name  of  "  the  Christ,"  the 
Saviour  of  mankind  1 

The  act  of  solemn  consecration  is  over.  He  comes 
up  out  of  the  water.  And  lo,  the  heavens  are  opened, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  descends  upon  Him,  and  a  voice 
from  heaven  calls,  "  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  Whom 
I  am  well  pleased." 

"  The  heavens  were  opened."  What  was  the  precise 
natural  phenomenon  witnessed  we  can  only  conjecture, 
but  whatever  it  was,  it  was  but  a  symbol  of  the  spiritual 
opening  of  the  heavens.  The  heaven  of  God's  love 
and  of  all  holy  Angels,  shut  from  man  by  sin,  was 
opened  again  by  the  Christ  of  God.  Nothing  could  be 
more  appropriate,  therefore,  than  that  just  at  the  moment 
when  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  had  bowed  Himself  to 
take  up  His  heavy  burden,  when  for  the  first  time  it 
was  possible  to  say,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  ! "  the  heavens  should 
open  to  welcome  Him,  and  in  welcoming  Him,  the 
Sin-bearer,  to  welcome  all  whose  sins  He  came  to  take 
away. 

"And  He  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending  like  a 
dove,  and  lighting  upon  Him."  This  was  His  anoint- 
ing for  the  work  He  had  come  to  do.     The  priests  ol 


iii.  13-17.]  HIS  BAPTISM.  37 

the  line  of  Aaron  had  been  anointed  with  oil;  He 
was  anointed  with  that  of  which  the  oil  was  but  a 
symbol, — the  Holy  Spirit  descending  from  the  open 
heaven.  From  His  birth,  indeed,  He  had  been  guided 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.  But  up  to  this  time  He  had, 
as  we  have  seen,  nothing  more  than  was  needed  to 
minister  to  that  growth  in  wisdom  which  had  been 
going  on  in  private  life  these  thirty  years,  nothing  more 
than  was  necessary  to  guide  Him  day  by  day  in  His 
quiet,  unexacting  duties  at  home.  Now  He  needs 
far  more.  Now  He  must  receive  the  Spirit  without 
measure,  in  the  fulness  of  His  grace  and  power;  hence 
the  organic  form  of  the  symbol.  The  emblem  used 
when  the  apostles  were  baptised  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  tongues  of  fire,  indicating  the  partial  nature  of  the 
endowment ;  here  it  is  the  dove,  suggesting  the  idea  of 
completeness  and,  at  the  same  time,  as  every  one  sees, 
of  beauty,  gentleness,  peace,  and  love.  Again  let  it  be 
remembered  that  it  is  on  Him  as  our  representative 
that  the  Spirit  descends,  that  His  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  in  order  that  He  may  be  ready  to  fulfil 
the  word  of  John,  "  He  shall  baptise  you  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  fire."  Heaven  opened  above  Him 
means  all  heavenly  blessings  prepared  for  those  who 
follow  Him  into  the  new  Kingdom.  The  descent  of 
the  Spirit  means  the  bestowment  on  Him  and  His  of 
heaven's  best  gift  as  an  earnest  of  all  the  rest. 

Last  of  all  there  is  the  voice,  "This  is  My  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased,"  spoken  not  merely 
to  Himself  individually, — all  along,  in  the  personal 
sense,  He  was  God's  beloved  Son,  in  whom  He  was 
well  pleased, — but  to  the  Messiah,  as  the  Representative 
and  Head  of  a  new  redeemed  humanity,  as  the  First- 
born among  many  brethren,  as  One  who  at  the  very 


38  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

moment  was  undertaking  suretyship  on  behalf  of  all 
who  had  already  received  Him  or  should  in  the  ages 
to  come  receive  Him  as  their  Priest  and  King — "  This 
is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 

Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  and 
heavenly  blessings  in  Him  :  with  an  open  heaven,  a 
present  Spirit,  a  reconciled  Father's  voice.  Blessed  be 
our  loving  Lord  and  Saviour,  that  He  came  so  humbly 
to  the  Jordan,  stooped  so  bravely  to  the  yoke,  took  up 
our  heavy  Cross,  and  carried  it  through  these  sorrowful 
years  to  the  bitter,  bitter  end.  And  blessed  be  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  all  grace,  that  He  abode  on  Him,  and 
abides  with  us.  May  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  be  with  us  all! 


HIS   TEMPTATION. 
Matt.  iv.  I -I  I. 

MUCH  has  been  written  on  the  possibility  oi 
temptation  in  the  experience  of  a  sinless  Being. 
The  difficulties  which  have  been  raised  in  this  region 
are  chiefly  of  a  metaphysical  kind,  such  as  it  is 
possible — for  some  minds,  we  might  say  inevitable— - 
to  raise  at  every  point  in  that  mysterious  complexity 
which  we  call  life.  Without  attempting  to  enter 
profoundly  into  the  question,  may  not  an  appeal  be 
made  to  our  own  experience?  Do  we  not  all  know 
what  it  is  to  be  "  tempted  without  sin," — without  sin, 
that  is,  in  reference  to  the  particular  thing  to  which 
we  are  tempted  ?  Are  there  not  desires  in  our  nature, 
not  only  thoroughly  innocent,  but  a  necessary  part  of 
our  humanity,  which,  nevertheless,  give  occasion  to 
temptation  ?  But  on  its  being  recognised  that  to  follow 
the  impulse,  however  natural,  would  lead  to  wrong- 
doing, the  temptation  is  instantly  repelled  and  integrity 
perfectly  preserved.  In  such  a  case  there  is  tempta- 
tion, conflict,  victory — all  without  sin.  Surely  then 
what  is  possible  to  us  on  occasion  was  also  possible 
to  our  Lord  on  all  occasions,  all  through  His  pure  and 
spotless  life.  His  taking  our  nature  indeed  involved  not 
only  the  possibility,  but  the  necessity,  of  temptation. 
The  passage   before  us  records  what  is  known  as 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


the  Temptation,  by  which  it  is  not,  of  course,  meant 
that  it  was  the  only  one.  Our  Lord  was  all  His  life 
exposed  to  the  assaults  of  the  Tempter,  which  seem 
indeed  to  have  increased  in  violence  as  He  approached 
the  end  of  His  life.  Why,  then,  is  this  attack  singled 
out  for  special  record  ?  The  reason  seems  obvious. 
It  marks  the  beginning  of  the  life-work  of  the  Messiah. 
In  His  quiet  home  at  Nazareth  Jesus  must  have  had 
the  ordinary  temptations  to  which  childhood  and  youth 
are  subject.  That  was  the  time  of  quiet  preparation 
for  the  great  campaign.  Now  the  war  must  begin. 
He  must  address  Himself  to  the  mighty  undertaking 
of  destroying  the  works  of  the  devil.  The  great 
adversary,  therefore,  wisely  endeavours  to  mar  it  at 
the  outset,  by  a  deliberately  planned  series  of  assaults, 
directed  against  all  the  vulnerable  points  of  that  human 
nature  his  great  antagonist  must  wear.  From  this 
time  onward  our  Lord's  whole  life  was  to  be  a  war- 
fare, not  against  the  rage  of  wicked  men  only,  but 
against  the  wiles  of  the  unseen  adversary,  whose 
opposition  must  have  been  as  bitter  and  relentless 
as  that  of  his  representatives  in  flesh  and  blood. 
From  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  conflict  waged  in 
the  spiritual  sphere  could  not  appear  in  the  history. 
It  belonged  to  that  hidden  life,  of  which  even  the 
closest  disciples  could  see  but  very  little.  We  get  a 
hint  of  it  occasionally  in  certain  looks  and  words  be- 
tokening inward  conflict,  and  in  those  frequent  retirings 
to  solitary  places  to  pray  ;  but  of  the  actual  soul  expe- 
rience we  have  no  record,  except  in  the  case  of  this 
first  pitched  battle,  so  to  call  it,  of  the  lifelong  conflict. 
It  is  evident  that  our  Lord  Himself  must  have  given 
His  disciples  the  information  on  this  deeply  interesting 
subject  which  enabled  them  to  put  it  on  record,    for 


iv.  i-n.]  HIS   TEMPTATION,  41 

the  encouragement  and  comfort  of  His  people  in  all 
time  to  come.  Blessed  be  His  Holy  Name,  for  this 
unveiling  of  His  hidden  life. 

The  greater  portion,  indeed,  is  still  veiled.  A  dark 
cloud  of  mystery  hangs  over  the  forty  days.  Nothing 
else  is  told  of  them  in  this  Gospel  than  that  Jesus  fasted 
for  that  time — an  indication  of  sustained  intensity  in 
the  life  of  His  spirit.  From  St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke 
we  learn  that  the  temptation  lasted  throughout  the 
entire  period — a  fact  not  at  all  inconsistent  with  sus- 
tained spiritual  elevation,  for  it  is  just  at  such  periods 
that  man  is  most  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  the  enemy. 
We  may  not  penetrate  the  darkness  of  these  forty 
days.  Like  the  darkness  in  Gethsemane,  and  again, 
from  the  sixth  to  the  ninth  hour  on  Calvary,  it  forbids 
entrance.  These  were  times  when  even  "  the  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved"  could  not  be  with  Him.  These 
are  solitudes  that  can  never  be  disturbed.  Only  this 
we  know  :  that  it  was  necessary  that  our  Saviour  should 
pass  through  these  dark  "  cloud-gates  "  as  He  entered 
on  and  as  He  finished  His  priestly  work  on  earth. 

But  though  we  cannot  comprehend  what  our  Lord 
did  for  us  during  these  forty  days,  when  He  "  recovered 
Paradise  to  all  mankind,"  we  may,  remembering  that 
He  was  tempted,  not  only  as  our  Representative  but 
as  our  Exemplar,  endeavour  with  all  humility  and 
reverence  to  enter  into  this  soul-experience  of  our 
Lord,  so  far  as  the  vivid  representation  of  its  main 
features  in  the  inspired  record  warrants. 

It  is  always  difficult  to  tell  the  story  of  soul-expe- 
rience in  such  a  way  as  to  come  home  to  the  common 
mind  and  heart  of  humanity.  It  will  not  do  to  tell  it 
in  the  language  of  philosophy  or  psychology,  which 
none  but  those   familiar  with  such  discussions  could 


42  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW 

understand.  It  must  be  addressed  to  the  imagination 
as  well  as  to  the  pure  reason.  If  this  had  been 
sufficiently  kept  in  view,  it  might  have  saved  many 
a  difficulty  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  set  them- 
selves to  discover  exactly  what  were  the  outward 
circumstances  of  the  temptation,  forgetting  that  here 
especially  it  is  the  inward  and  spiritual  with  which  we 
have  to  do,  not  the  outward  and  physical.  It  is  not 
what  happened  to  the  body  of  Jesus, — whether  it  was 
actually  carried  to  a  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  or  not, — 
with  which  we  have  any  concern  in  connection  with 
the  subject  of  temptation ;  but  what  happened  to  His 
soul :  for  it  is  the  soul  of  man,  not  his  body,  which  is 
tempted. 

It  is  above  all  things  necessary  to  hold  firmly  to 
the  reality  of  the  temptation.  It  was  no  mere  sham 
fight;  it  was  just  as  real  as  any  we  have  ever  had 
when  most  fiercely  assailed  by  the  tempter.  This  will, 
of  course,  dispose  of  the  vulgar  idea  that  the  devil 
appeared  in  recognisable  shape,  like  one  of  Dore's 
fiends.  Some  people  cannot  rise  above  the  folly  of 
imagining  that  there  is  nothing  real  that  is  not  mate- 
rial, and  therefore  that  our  Saviour  could  have  had 
no  conflict  with  Satan,  if  Satan  had  not  assumed  some 
material  shape.  The  power  of  temptation  consists  in 
its  appearance  of  being  suggested  without  sinister 
intent.  Our  Lord  was  tempted  "  like  as  we  are,"  and 
therefore  had  not  the  advantage  of  seeing  the  tempter 
in  his  proper  person.  He  may  have  appeared  "  as  an 
angel  of  light,"  or  it  may  have  been  only  as  an  invisible 
spirit  that  he  came.  However  that  may  be,  it  was 
unquestionably  a  spiritual  experience ;  and  in  that 
consists  its  reality  and  value. 

In  order  firmly  to  grasp  the  reality  of  the  conflict,  we 


Iv.  i-ii.]  HIS  TEMPTATION.  43 

must  not  only  bear  in  mind  that  our  Lord  had  to 
contend  with  the  same  invisible  adversary  whom  we 
must  encounter,  but  that  He  had  to  meet  him  just  as 
we  have  to  meet  him — not  as  God,  but  as  man.  The 
man  Christ  Jesus  was  tempted,  and  in  His  human 
nature  He  triumphed.  He  had  "  emptied  Himself"  of 
His  divine  attributes  ;  and  to  have  had  recourse  to  them 
when  the  battle  raged  too  fiercely  for  His  resources  as 
a  man,  would  have  been  to  have  acknowledged  defeat. 
What  need  was  there  to  show  that  God  could  triumph 
over  Satan  ?  There  needed  no  Incarnation  and  no 
wilderness  contest  for  that.  Had  it  not  been  as  a 
man  that  He  triumphed  there  had  been  no  victory  at 
all.  It  is  true  that  He  went  into  the  wilderness  in 
the  power  of  the  Spirit ;  but  so  may  we  go  into  any 
wilderness  or  anywhere.  It  was  through  Divine 
strength  He  triumphed,  but  only  in  that  strength  made 
perfect  in  human  weakness  according  to  the  promise 
which  is  valid  for  us  all.  Here  too  "  He  was  tempted 
like  as  we  are/'  with  the  same  ways  and  means  of 
resisting  the  temptation  and  overcoming  it  as  are 
available  to  us.  It  follows  from  all  this  that  we  should 
not  look  at  this  temptation  scene  as  something  quite 
foreign  to  ourselves,  but  should  endeavour  to  enter  into 
it,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  realise  it. 

Observe  first  the  close  connection  with  the  baptism. 
This  is  made  prominent  and  emphatic  in  all  the  three 
accounts.  Evidently,  then,  it  supplies  the  key  to  it. 
The  baptism  of  Christ  was  His  consecration  to  the 
work  of  His  Messiahship.  And  let  us  not  imagine  that 
He  had  any  ready-made  plan  for  the  accomplishment 
of  it.  His  was  no  stereotyped  life-work,  such  as  that 
which  most  of  us  take  up,  in  which  we  can  learn  from 
those  who   nave  gone  before   how  they  set  about  it 


44  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

and  proceed  accordingly.  Even  with  all  that  advantage 
most  of  us  have  to  do  not  a  little  hard  thinking,  before 
we  can  lay  our  plans.  Could  it  be,  then,  that  He  who 
had  such  a  work  before  Him  had  no  need  to  think 
over  it,  and  plan  it,  and  weigh  different  methods  of 
procedure,  and  face  the  difficulties  which  every  one 
who  enters  on  a  new  enterprise  has  to  meet  ?  Do  not 
let  us  forget  for  a  moment  that  He  was  a  real  man,  and 
that  in  planning  the  course  He  would  pursue,  as  in  all 
other  points,  He  was  tried  like  as  we  are. 

Accordingly,  no  sooner  is  He  baptised,  than  He 
withdraws  by  Himself  alone,  as  Moses  and  others  had 
done  when  about  to  enter  on  their  work,  to  commune 
with  God  and  to  take  counsel  with  His  own  thoughts. 
Was  He  free  from  all  misgiving?  Let  us  not  imagine 
that  it  was  impossible  for  Him  to  doubt.  Tempted  in 
all  points  like  as  we  are,  He  must  have  known  this  sore 
temptation.  One  may  well  suppose,  then,  that  He  was 
visited  again  and  again  with  misgivings  during  these 
forty  days,  so  that  it  was  not  at  all  unnatural  that 
temptation  should  take  the  form :  "  If  Thou  be  the 
Son  of  God " 

Look  now  at  the  first  temptation,  and  mark  the 
double  human  weakness  to  which  it  was  addressed. 
On  the  one  hand  doubt — "  If  Thou  art  the  Son  of 
God ; "  on  the  other,  hunger — for  He  had  fasted  long 
and  had  as  strong  a  craving  for  bread  as  any  of  us 
would  have  had  in  the  circumstances.  See  now  the 
force  of  the  temptation.  He  is  suffering  from  hunger  ; 
He  is  tempted  to  doubt.  How  can  He  have  relief? 
u  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these 
stones  be  made  bread!1  Special  powers  are  intrusted  to 
Him  for  His  work  as  Messiah.  Should  He  not  use 
them  now  ?     Why  not  ?     So  in  his  subtlety  suggests 


iv.  i-ii.]  HIS  TEMPTATION.  45 

the  tempter.  In  vain.  He  had  taken  His  place  among 
His  brother-men,  and  would  not  separate  Himself  from 
them.  They  could  not  command  stones  to  be  made 
bread  ;  and  would  He  cease  to  be  their  Brother  ?  What 
saith  the  Law  ?  A  well-known  passage  leaps  into  His 
memory  :  "  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by 
every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God." 
Man  must  trust  in  God,  and  when  he  is  hungry  in  the 
wilderness,  as  Israel  was  of  old,  must  look  upwards 
for  his  help.  So  must  I ;  so  will  I.  And  He  bears 
the  hunger,  repels  the  doubt,  and  conquers  His  subtle 
foe. 

The  thought  of  the  doubt  that  must  exist  in  other 
minds  if  not  in  His  own,  gives  occasion  for  a  second 
assault.  To  have  proved  His  power  by  commanding 
the  stones  to  be  made  br-ead  would  only  have  gratified 
a  personal  craving.  But  would  it  not  advance  His 
work  to  make  some  signal  display  of  the  powers  by 
which  He  shall  be  accredited — do  something  that  would 
attract  universal  attention ;  not  in  the  desert,  but  in 
Jerusalem ; — why  not  show  to  all  the  people  that  God 
is  with  Him  by  casting  Himself  from  the  pinnacle  of 
the  Temple  ?  "  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast  Thy- 
self down ;  for  it  is  written,  He  shall  give  His  angels 
charge  concerning  Thee  ;  and  in  their  hands  they  shall 
bear  Thee  up,  lest  at  any  time  Thou  dash  Thy  foot 
against  a  stone."  One  sees  at  once  the  added  force 
of  this  temptation.  The  hunger  remains,  together  with 
the  weakness  of  body  and  faintness  of  spirit  which 
always  accompany  it.  And  the  very  weapon  He  used 
to  repel  the  first  assault  is  turned  against  Him  now, 
for  His  adversary  has  found  a  passage  of  Scripture, 
which  he  uses  with  great  effect.  Moreover,  the  appeal 
seems  to  be  to  that   very  spirit  of  trustfulness  which 


46  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

stood  Him  in  such  stead  in  His  first  encounter.  Is 
He  not  hard  beset?  What  then?  Does  He  in  this 
emergency  summon  to  His  aid  any  ally  denied  to 
us  in  similar  stress  of  trial  ?  No  :  He  does  exactly 
what  we  have  to  do  in  the  same  case  :  meets  Scripture 
quoted  with  a  bias  by  other  Scripture  thought  of 
without  prejudice.  He  recognises  that  the  Scripture 
first  presented  to  His  mind  is  only  a  part  of  the  truth 
which  bears  on  the  case.  Something  more  must  be 
had  in  view,  before  the  path  of  duty  is  clear.  To 
meet  the  distracting  thought,  this  word  occurs,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God."  It  is  one  thing 
to  trust,  another  to  tempt.  I  was  trusting  when  I 
refused  to  command  the  stones  to  be  made  bread. 
But  I  should  be  tempting  God  were  I  to  cast  myself 
down  from  a  pinnacle  of  the  Temple.  I  should  be 
experimenting  upon  Him,  as  did  the  children  of  Israel 
at  Meribah  and  at  Massah  (for  that  is  the  connection 
of  the  words  He  quotes)  when  they  said,  "  Is  the 
Lord  among  us  or  not  ?  "  I  must  not  experiment,  I 
must  not  tempt,  I  must  simply  trust.  Thus  victory  is 
gained  a  second  time. 

If  it  is  not  right  to  begin  His  work  by  any  such 
display  as  that  which  the  tempter  has  just  suggested, 
how  shall  it  be  begun  ?  A  question  surely  of  un- 
exampled difficulty.  The  air  was  full  of  expectancy  in 
regard  to  the  coming  of  King  Messiah.  The  whole 
nation  was  ready  to  hail  him.  Not  only  so,  but  even 
the  heathen  nations  were  more  or  less  prepared  for  His 
coming.  Why  not  take  advantage  of  this  favourable 
state  of  things  at  home  and  abroad  ?  Why  not  proclaim 
a  kingdom  that  will  satisfy  these  widespread  expecta- 
tions, and  gather  round  itself  all  those  enthusiasms ; 
and,  after  having  thus  won  the  people,  then  proceed  to 


iv.  i-ix.]  HIS   TEMPTATION.  47 

lead  them  on  to  higher  and  better  things  ?  Why 
not  ?  It  would  be  bowing  down  to  the  prince  of 
this  world.  It  is  clearly  a  temptation  of  the  Evil 
One.  To  yield  to  it  would  be  to  fall  down  before 
him  and  worship  him  in  exchange  for  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  and  the  glory  of  them.  It  would  be  gaining 
the  allegiance  of  men  by  methods  which  are  not  of 
God,  but  of  the  great  adversary.  He  recognises  the 
device  of  Satan  to  lure  Him  from  the  path  of  self- 
denial  which  He  sees  to  be  the  path  of  duty ;  accord- 
ingly, with  energy  He  says,  u  Get  thee  hence,  Satan ; 
for  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy 
God,  and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve."  In  establishing 
My  kingdom  I  must  show  Myself  to  be  a  servant 
and  worshipper  of  God  and  of  Him  only ;  accordingly, 
no  worldly  methods  must  be  used,  however  promising 
they  may  seem  to  be ;  the  battle  must  be  fought  with 
spiritual  weapons,  the  kingdom  must  be  established 
by  spiritual  forces  alone,  and  on  truth  and  love  alone 
must  I  depend  :  I  choose  the  path  of  the  Cross.  "  Get 
thee  hence,  Satan." 

The  crisis  is  passed.  The  path  of  duty  and  of 
sorrow  lies  plain  and  clear  before  Him.  He  has 
refused  to  turn  aside  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left. 
The  tempter  has  been  foiled  at  every  point,  and  so  must 
withdraw,  for  the  time,  at  least.  "  Then  the  devil 
leaveth  Him  ;  and,  behold,  angels  came  and  ministered 
unto  Him." 


VI. 

BEGINNING  OF  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY. 
Matt.  iv.  12-25. 

DID  our  Lord's  ministry  begin  in  Galilee  ?  If  so, 
why  did  He  not  Himself  set  the  example  of 
"beginning  at  Jerusalem"?  As  a  matter  of  fact  we 
learn  from  the  fourth  Gospel  that  He  did  begin  at  Jeru- 
salem ;  and  that  it  was  only  after  He  was  rejected  there 
that  He  changed  the  scene  of  His  labours  to  the  North. 
Why  then  do  the  three  Evangelists  not  mention  this 
earlier  ministry  in  the  South  ?  The  answer  to  this 
question  seems  suggested  by  the  stress  laid  by  each  of 
the  three  on  the  fact  of  John's  imprisonment,  as  giving 
the  date  after  which  Christ  commenced  His  work  in 
the  North.  Here,  for  example  (ver.  12),  it  is  put  thus  : 
"  Now  when  He  heard  that  John  was  delivered  up, 
He  withdrew  into  Galilee."  Their  idea,  then,  seems 
to  be  that  the  Judaean  ministry  of  Christ  belonged 
rather  to  the  closing  months  of  John's  career ;  and 
that  only  after  John's  mission,  the  sphere  of  which 
had  been  mainly  in  the  South,  had  closed,  could  the 
special  work  of  Christ  be  regarded  as  having  begun. 

If  we  review  the  facts  we  shall  see  how  natural  and 
accurate  was  this  view  of  the  case.  John  was  sent  to 
prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  open  the  door  of  Jeru- 
salem and  Judaea  for  His  coming.  At  first  the  herald 
meets  with  great  success.     Jerusalem  and  Judaea  flock 


iv.  12-25.]  BEGINNING  OF  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY.  49 

out  to  him  for  his  baptism.  The  way  seems  ready. 
The  door  is  opened.  The  Messiah  has  come ;  and  John 
has  pointed  Him  out  as  "  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  thp  sin  of  the  world."  Now  the  Passover  is  at 
hand  People  will  be  gathered  together  from  all  parts 
of  the  land.  What  better  time  for  the  Lord  to  come  to 
His  temple  ?  And,  as  we  are  told  in  the  fourth  Gospel, 
Jesus  takes  the  opportunity,  goes  up  to  Jerusalem, 
enters  into  the  Temple,  and  at  once  begins  to  cleanse 
it.  How  is  He  received  ?  As  one  whose  way  has  been 
prepared,  whose  claims  have  been  duly  authenticated 
by  a  prophet  of  the  Lord,  as  all  acknowledge  John 
to  be  ?  Not  at  all.  Forth  step  the  Temple  officials 
and  ask  Him  by  what  authority  He  does  these  things. 
He  has  come  unto  His  own ;  His  own  receive  Him 
not.  He  does  not,  however,  too  hastily  accept  their 
suicidal  refusal  to  receive  Him.  He  gives  them  time 
to  think  of  it.  He  tarries  in  the  neighbourhood,  He 
and  John  baptising  in  the  same  region ;  patiently 
waiting,  as  it  would  seem,  for  signs  of  relenting 
on  the  part  of  the  rulers  and  Pharisees, — one  of 
whom,  indeed,  has  come  by  night  and  made  inquiries ; 
and  who  can  tell  what  the  result  will  be — whether 
this  Nicodemus  may  not  be  able  to  win  the  others 
over,  so  that  after  all  there  will  be  waiting  for  the 
King  the  welcome  He  ought  to  have,  and  which  He 
is  well  entitled  to  expect  after  the  reception  given 
to  His  herald  ?  But  no :  the  impression  of  John's 
preaching  and  baptism  is  wearing  off;  the  hardness 
of  heart  returns,  and  passes  into  positive  bitterness, 
which  reaches  such  a  height  that  at  last  Herod  finds 
the  tide  so  turned  that  he  can  hazard  what  a  few 
months  before  would  have  been  the  foolhardy  policy  of 
seizing  John  and  shutting  him  in  prison.     So  ends  the 

4 


50  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

mission  of  John — beginning  with  largest  hope,  ending 
in  cruellest  disappointment. 

The  early  Judaean  ministry  of  Christ,  then,  as  related 
by  St.  John  may  be  regarded  as  the  opportunity  which 
Christ  gave  to  the  nation,  as  represented  by  the 
capital  and  the  Temple,  to  follow  out  the  mission  of 
John  to  its  intended  issue — an  opportunity  which  the 
leaders  of  the  nation  wasted  and  threw  away,  and  which 
therefore  came  to  nothing.  Hence  it  is  that  the  three 
Evangelists,  without  giving  any  of  the  details  which 
were  afterwards  supplied  by  St.  John,  sum  up  the 
closing  months  of  the  forerunner's  ministry  in  the  one 
fact  which  suggests  all,  that  John  was  silenced,  and 
shut  up  in  prison.  We  see,  then,  that  though  Jesus 
did  in  a  sense  commence  His  work  in  Galilee,  He  did 
not  do  so  until  He  had  first  given  the  authorities  of  the 
city  and  the  Temple  the  opportunity  of  having  it  begin, 
as  it  would  seem  most  natural  that  it  should  have 
begun,  in  the  centre  of  the  old  kingdom. 

But  though  it  was  His  treatment  in  the  South  which 
was  the  immediate  cause  of  this  withdrawal  to  the 
North  and  the  beginning  of  the  establishment  of  the 
new  kingdom  there,  yet  this  was  no  unforeseen  con- 
tingency— this  too  was  anticipated  in  the  prophetic 
page,  for  herein  was  fulfilled  the  word  of  Isaiah  the 
prophet,  spoken  long  ago  of  this  same  northern  land : 
"The  land  of  Zabulon  and  the  land  of  Nepthalim, 
by  the  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of  the 
Gentiles ;  the  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw  great 
light ;  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow 
of  death  light  is  sprung  up." 

It  is  the  old  story  over  again.  No  room  in  the  inn, 
so  He  must  be  born  in  a  manger ;  no  safety  in  Judaea, 
so  He  must  be  carried  to  Egypt;  no  room  for  Him 


iv.  12-25. J  BEGINNING  OF  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY.    51 

in  His  own  capital  and  His  Father's  house,  so  He 
must  away  to  the  country,  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
land,  which  men  despised,  the  very  speech  of  which 
was  reckoned  barbarous  in  the  polite  ears  of  the 
metropolitans,  a  region  which  was  scarce  counted  of  the 
land  at  all,  being  known  as  "Galilee  of  the  Gentiles," 
a  portion  of  the  country  which  had  been  overrun  more 
than  any  other  by  the  foreign  invader,  and  therefore 
known  as  "  the  region  and  shadow  of  death  ; "  here  it 
is  that  the  new  light  will  arise,  the  new  power  be  first 
acknowledged,  and  the  new  blessing  first  enjoyed — 
one  of  the  many  illustrations  of  the  Lord's  own  saying, 
"  Many  of  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last." 

Here,  then,  our  Lord  begins  the  work  of  setting  up 
His  kingdom.  He  takes  up  the  same  message  which 
had  seemed  to  return  void  to  its  preacher  in  the  South. 
John  had  come  saying,  "  Repent  ye ;  for  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  at  hand."  The  people  of  the  South  had 
seemed  to  repent;  and  the  kingdom  seemed  about  to 
come  in  the  ancient  capital.  But  the  repentance  was 
only  superficial;  and  though  it  still  remained  true  that 
the  kingdom  was  at  hand,  it  was  not  to  begin  in 
Jerusalem. 

So,  in  the  new,  and,  to  human  appearance,  far  less 
promising  field  in  the  North,  the  work  must  be  begun 
afresh ;  and  now  the  same  stirring  words  are  ringing 
in  Galilee,  as  rang  a  few  months  before  in  Judaea: 
"Repent;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand." 

It  is  now  in  fact  close  at  hand.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  its  first  beginnings.  "And  Jesus  walking  by  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,*  saw  two  brethren,  Simon  called  Peter, 

*  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  He  has  had  the  same  experience  even 
in  Galilee  as  before,  for  He  is  cast  out  of  His  own  place  Nazareth, 
so  that  He  cannot  really  begin  there.     He  gave  them  the  first  oppor- 


52  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.    MATTHEW. 


and  Andrew  his  brother,  casting  a  net  into  the  sea ;  for 
they  were  fishers.  And  He  saith  unto  them,  Follow 
,Me,  and  I  will  make  }'ou  fishers  of  men.  And  they 
straightway  left  their  nets,  and  followed  Him.  And 
going  on  from  thence  He  saw  other  two  brethren, 
James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  in  a 
ship  with  Zebedee  their  father,  mending  their  nets ;  and 
he  called  them  and  they  immediately  left  the  ship  and 
their  father,  and  followed  Him." 

Observe  in  the  first  place  that,  though  John  is  in 
prison,  and  to  all  human  appearance  failure  has  been 
written  on  the  work  of  his  life,  the  failure  is  only 
seeming.  The  multitudes  that  had  been  stirred  by  his 
preaching  have  relapsed  into  their  old  indifference,  but 
there  are  a  few  whose  souls  have  been  permanently 
touched  to  finer  issues.  They  are  not  of  the  lordly 
Pharisees  or  of  the  brilliant  Sadducees ;  they  cannot 
even  claim  to  be  metropolitans  ;  they  are  poor  Galilean 
fishermen :  but  they  gave  heed  when  the  prophet 
pointed  them  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  the  Messiah  that 
was  to  come;  and  though  they  had  only  spent  a 
short  time  in  His  company,  yet  golden  links  had  been 
forged  between  them  ;  they  had  heard  the  Shepherd's 
voice  ;  had  fully  recognised  His  Kingly  claims ;  and  so 
were  ready,  waiting  for  the  word  of  command.  Now 
it  comes.  The  same  Holy  One  of  Nazareth  is  walking 
by  the  shores  of  their  lake.  He  has  been  proclaiming 
His  Kingdom,  as  now  at  last  beginning ;  and,  though 
the  manner  of  its  establishment  is  so  entirely  different 
from  anything  to  which  their  thoughts  have  been  accus- 

tunity  in  Galilee  as  He  had  given  Jerusalem  first  of  all,  but  they 
too  had  rejected  it,  had  driven  Him  out,  and  hence  it  is  that  the 
beginning  was  not  in  the  village  up  in  the  hills,  but  down  by  the  lake- 
side in  the  midst  of  the  busy  life  that  thronged  its  shores. 


iv  12-25.]  BEGINNING  OF  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY.    53 

tomed  in  the  past,  their  confidence  in  Him  is  such  that 
they  raise  no  doubt  or  question.  Accordingly,  when 
they  see  Him  coming  alone  and  unattended,  without 
any  of  the  trappings  or  the  suits  of  royalty,  without 
any  badge  or  sign  of  office,  with  a  simple  word  of 
command, — a  word  of  command,  moreover,  which  de- 
manded of  them  the  sacrifice  of  all  for  His  sake,  the 
absolute  trusting  of  themselves  and  all  their  future  to 
His  guidance  and  care, — they  do  not  hesitate  for  a  single 
moment ;  but  first  Andrew  and  Simon  his  brother, 
and  a  little  further  on  James  and  John  his  brother, 
straightway  leave  nets,  father,  friends,  home,  every- 
thing, and  follow  Him. 

Such  was  the  first  exercise  of  the  royal  authority  of 
the  new  King.  Such  was  the  constitution  of  His — 
Cabinet  shall  we  call  it  ? — or  of  His  Kingdom  itself, 
shall  we  not  rather  say  ?  for  so  far  as  we  can  see,  His 
cabinet  at  this  moment  was  all  the  kingdom  that  He 
had.  Let  us  here  pause  a  moment  and  try  to  realise 
the  picture  painted  for  us  in  that  grey  morning  time 
of  what  we  now  call  the  Christian  Era.  Suppose 
some  of  our  artists  could  reproduce  the  scene  for  us : 
in  the  background  the  lake  with  the  deserted  boats 
upon  the  shore,  old  Zebedee  with  a  half  sad,  half 
bewildered  look  upon  his  face,  wondering  what  was 
happening,  trying  to  imagine  what  he  would  do  without 
his  sons,  and  what  his  sons  would  do  without  him  and 
the  boat  and  the  nets ;  and,  in  the  foreground,  the  five 
men  walking  along,  four  of  them  without  the  least  idea 
of  where  they  were  going  or  of  what  they  had  to  do. 
Or  suppose  that,  instead  of  having  a  picture  of  it  now, 
with  all  the  light  that  eighteen  centuries  have  shed 
upon  it,  we  could  transport  ourselves  back  to  the  very 
time  and  stand  there  on  the  very  spot  and  see  the 


54  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

scene  with  our  own  eyes ;  and  suppose  that  we  were 
told  by  some  bystander,  That  man  of  the  five  that 
looks  like  the  leader  of  the  rest  thinks  himself  a  king: 
he  imagines  he  has  been  sent  to  set  up  a  kingdom  of 
Heaven  upon  the  earth ;  and  he  has  just  asked  these 
other  four  to  join  him,  and  there  they  are  setting  out 
upon  their  task.  What  should  we  have  thought  ?  If 
we  had  had  only  flesh  and  blood  to  consult  with,  wTe 
should  have  thought  the  whole  thing  supremely  ridicu- 
lous; we  should  have  expected  to  see  the  four  men 
back  to  their  boats  and  nets  again  in  a  few  days, 
sadder  but  wiser  men.  How  far  Zebedee  had  a 
spiritually  enlightened  mind  we  dare  not  say ;  perhaps 
he  was  as  willing  that  his  sons  should  go,  as  they  were 
to  go ;  but  if  he  was,  it  could  not  have  been  flesh  and 
blood  that  revealed  it  to  him ;  he  as  well  as  his  sons 
must  have  felt  the  power  of  the  Spirit  that  was  in 
Christ.  But  if  he  did  not  at  all  understand  it  or  believe 
in  it,  we  can  fancy  him  saying  to  the  two  young  men 
when  they  left :  "  Go  off  now,  if  you  like ;  you  will 
be  back  again  in  a  few  days,  and  foolish  as  you  have 
been,  your  old  father  will  be  glad  to  take  you  into  his 
boat  again." 

It  is  worth  while  for  us  to  try  to  realise  what 
happened  in  its  veriest  simplicity ;  for  we  have  read 
the  story  so  often,  and  are  so  thoroughly  familiar  with 
it,  that  we  are  apt  to  miss  its  marvel,  to  fail  to  recognise 
that  it  is  perhaps  the  most  striking  illustration  in  all 
history  of  the  apostle's  statement,  "God  hath  chosen 
the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise, 
and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to 
confound  the  things  which  are  mighty,  .  .  .  that  no 
flesh  should  glory  in  His  presence." 

Where  was  ever  a  weaker  thing  in  this  world  than 


tv.  12-25.]  BEGINNING  OF  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY.    55 

the  beginning  of  this  kingdom  ?  It  would  be  difficult 
to  imagine  any  commencement  that  would  have  seemed 
weaker  in  worldly  eyes.  Stand  by  once  again  and 
look  at  it  with  only  human  eyes ;  say,  is  it  not  all  weak- 
ness together  ? — weakness  in  the  leader  to  imagine  He 
can  set  up  a  kingdom  after  such  a  fashion,  weakness 
in  the  followers  to  leave  a  paying  business  on  such  a 
fool's  errand.  But  "the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser 
than  men ;  and  the  weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than 
men."  And  now  that  we  look  back  upon  that  scene, 
we  recognise  it  as  one  of  the  grandest  this  earth  has 
ever  witnessed.  If  it  were  painted  now,  what  light 
must  there  be  in  the  Leader's  eye,  what  majesty  in 
His  step,  what  glory  of  dawning  faith  and  love  and 
hope  in  the  faces  of  the  rest — it  must  needs  be  a 
picture  of  Sunrise,  or  it  would  be  utterly  unworthy 
of  the  theme  ! 

Now  follow  them  :  where  will  they  go,  and  what  will 
they  do  ?  Will  they  take  arms  and  call  to  arms  the 
countryside  ?  Then  march  on  Jerusalem  and  take  the 
throne  of  David,  and  thence  to  Rome  and  snatch  from 
Caesar  the  sceptre  of  the  world  ?  "  And  Jesus  went 
about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  and  healing  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease  among 
the  people."  Teaching — preaching — healing  :  these 
were  the  methods  for  setting  up  the  kingdom. 
"Teaching" — this  was  the  new  light;  " preaching  the 
Gospel  of  the  Kingdom" — this  was  the  new  power, 
power  not  of  the  sword  but  of  the  Word,  the  power  of 
persuasion,  so  that  the  people  will  yield  themselves 
willingly  or  not  at  all,  for  there  is  to  be  not  a  shadow 
of  constraint,  not  the  smallest  use  of  force  or  compul- 
sion, not  the  slightest  interference  with  human  freedom 


56  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

in  this  new  kingdom  ;  and  "  healing" — this  is  to  be  the 
great  thing;  this  is  what  a  sick  world  wants,  this  is 
what  souls  and  bodies  of  men  alike  are  crying  out  for 
— "  healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of 
disease  among  the  people."  Heavenly  light,  heavenly 
power,  heavenly  healing — these  are  the  weapons  of  the 
new  warfare  ;  these  the  regalia  of  the  new  kingdom. 
"  And  the  report  of  Him  went  forth  into  all  Syria ;  and 
they  brought  unto  Him  all  that  were  sick,  holden  with 
divers  diseases  and  torments,  possessed  with  devils, 
and  epileptic,  and  palsied ;  and  He  healed  them " 
(R.V.).  Call  to  mind,  for  a  moment,  how  in  the  ex- 
tremity of  hunger  He  would  not  use  one  fraction  of 
the  entrusted  power  for  His  own  behoof.  "Himself 
He  cannot  save."  But  see  how  He  saves  others.  No 
stinting  now  of  the  heavenly  power ;  it  flows  in  streams 
of  blessing :  "  They  brought  unto  Him  all  that  were 
sick,  .  .  .  and  He  healed  them." 

It  is  Daybreak  on  the  shores  of  Galilee.     The  Sun  of 
Righteousness  has  risen  with  healing  in  His  wings. 


VII. 

THE  GOSPEL  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 

("  SERMON    ON    THE  MOUNT.") 

Matt,  v.,  vi.,  vii. 

IT  may  seem  almost  heresy  to  object  to  the  time- 
honoured  title  "  Sermon  on  the  Mount ; "  yet,  so 
small  has  the  word  "  sermon "  become,  on  account  of 
its  application  to  those  productions  of  which  there  is 
material  for  a  dozen  in  single  sentences  of  this  great 
discourse,  that  there  is  danger  of  belittling  it  by  the  use 
of  a  title  which  suggests  even  the  remotest  relationship 
to  these  ephemeral  efforts.  No  mere  sermon  is  this, 
only  distinguished  from  others  of  its  class  by  its  reach 
and  sweep  and  power :  it  stands  alone  as  the  grand 
charter  of  the  commonwealth  of  heaven  ;  or,  to  keep 
the  simple  title  the  evangelist  himself  suggests  (iv.  23), 
it  is  "  The  Gospel  (or  good  news)  of  the  Kingdom." 
To  understand  it  aright  we  must  keep  this  in  mind, 
avoiding  the  easy  method  of  treating  it  as  a  mere  series 
of  lessons  on  different  subjects,  and  endeavouring  to 
grasp  the  unity  of  thought  and  purpose  which  binds 
its  different  parts  into  one  grand  whole. 

It  may  help  us  to  do  this  if  we  first  ask  ourselves 
what  questions  would  naturally  arise  in  the  minds  of 
the  more  thoughtful  of  the  people,  when  they  heard  the 
announcement,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand." 


58  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

It  was  evidently  to  such  persons  the  Lord  addressed 
Himself.  "  Seeing  the  multitudes,"  we  read  "  He 
went  up  into  the  mountain,"  perhaps  for  the  purpose  of 
selecting  His  audience.  The  idle  and  indifferent  would 
stay  down  on  the  plain ;  only  those  who  were  in  some 
measure  stirred  in  spirit  would  follow  Him  as  He 
climbed  the  steep  ascent  from  the  shore  of  the  lake 
to  the  plateau  above ;  and  in  their  minds  they  would 
in  all  probability  be  revolving  such  questions  as  these  : 
(i)  "What  is  this  kingdom,  what  advantages  does  it  offer, 
and  who  are  the  people  that  belong  to  it  ?  "  (2)  "  What 
is  required  of  those  that  belong  to  it  ?  what  are  its 
laws  and  obligations  ? "  And  if  these  two  questions 
were  answered  satisfactorily,  a  third  would  naturally 
follow — (3)  "  How  may  those  who  desire  to  share  its 
privileges  and  assume  its  obligations  become  citizens  of 
it  ?  "  These,  accordingly,  are  the  three  great  questions 
dealt  with  in  succession. 

I.  The  Nature  and  Constitution  of  the  Kingdom 
(vv.  2-16):  first  in  itself,  and  then  in  relation  to  the 
world. 

I.  In  itself  ("  The  Beatitudes"),  vv.  2-12. 

The  answer  to  the  questions  in  the  people's  hearts 
is  given  in  no  cold  didactic  way.  The  truth  about  the 
heavenly  kingdom  comes  warm  from  a  loving  heart 
yearning  over  the  woes  of  a  weary  and  heavy-laden 
humanity.  Its  first  word  is  "Blessed";  its  first  para- 
graph, Beatitudes.  Plainly  the  King  of  heaven  has 
come  to  bless.  There  is  no  thunder  nor  lightning  nor 
tempest  on  this  mount;  all  is  calm  and  peaceful  as  a 
summer's  day. 

How  high  the  key-note  struck  in  this  first  word  of 
the  King  !     The  advantages  usually  associated  with  the 


v.,vi,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  59 

best  earthly  government  are  very  moderate  indeed. 
We  speak  of  the  commonwealth,  a  word  which  is 
supposed  to  mean  the  common  welfare  ;  but  the  common 
welfare  is  quite  beyond  the  power  of  any  earthly 
government,  which  at  most  can  only  give  protection 
against  those  enemies  that  would  hinder  the  people 
from  doing  what  they  can  to  secure  their  own  welfare., 
But  here  is  a  kingdom  which  -is  to  secure  the  well- 
being  of  all  who  belong  to  it ;  and  not  well-being  only, 
but  something  far  beyond  and  above  it :  for  "  eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  Him,"  and  which  His  ambassador 
wrapped  up  in  that  great  word  "  Blessed,"  the  key-note 
of  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom. 

As  He  proceeds  to  show  wherein  this  blessedness 
is  to  be  found,  we  are  struck  by  the  originality  of  the 
conception,  and  its  opposition  to  vulgar  ideas.  What 
the  ordinary  way  of  thinking  on  the  subject  is  to  this 
day  can  be  readily  seen  in  that  very  word  "wealth," 
which  in  its  original  significance  means  welfare,  but 
from  the  mistaken  idea  that  a  man's  life  consists  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesses  has  come 
to  mean  what  it  means  now.  Who  can  tell  the  woes 
that  result  from  the  prevalence  of  this  grand  mistake — 
how  men  are  led  off  in  pursuit  of  happiness  in  a  wrong 
direction  altogether,  away  from  its  true  source,  and  set 
to  contending  and  competing  with  one  another,  so  that 
there  is  constant  danger — a  danger  averted  only  by  the 
degree  in  which  the  truth  enshrined  in  the  Beatitudes 
prevails — that  "the  common  wealth"  will  become  the 
common  woe  ?  What  a  different  world  this  would  be 
if  only  the  teaching  of  Christ  on  this  one  subject  were 
heartily  accepted — not  by  a  few  here  and  there,  but  by 


6o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

society  at  large  !  Then  should  we  see  indeed  a  kingdom 
of  heaven  upon  earth. 

For  observe  wherein  our  new  King  finds  the  universal 
weal.  We  cannot  follow  the  beatitudes  one  by  one; 
but  glancing  over  them  we  see,  running  through  them 
all,  this  great  truth — that  blessedness  is  essentially 
spjritual,  that-it._depends  not  so  igj^J^j^jnan's 
^nT^jtinn  ag  on  hfg  character,  not  so  much  on  what 
he  has  as  on  what  he  is.  It  needs  no  great  effort  of 
imagination  to  see  that  If  men  in  general  were  to  make 
it  their  main  object  and  endeavour  in  life  to  be  what 
they  ought  to  be,  rather  than  to  scramble  for  what 
they  can  get,  this  earth  would  speedily  become  a  moral 
paradise. 

In  expounding  the  blessedness  of  the  kingdom  the 
Master  has  unfolded  the  character  of  its  members, 
thus  not  only  explaining  the  nature  of  the  kingdom 
and  the  advantages  to  be  enjoyed  under  it,  but  also 
showing  who  those  are  that  belong  to  it.  That  this 
was  intended  seems  evident  from  the  first  and  the 
last  of  the  beatitudes  both  ending  with  the  emphatic 
words  "theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  It  is  as 
if  on  the  two  gates  at  the  hither  and  farther  end  of 
this  beautiful  garden  were  inscribed  the  words,  "  The 
truly  blessed  ones,  the  citizens  of  the  commonwealth  of 
heaven,  are  those  who  are  at  home  here."  Originality 
of  conception  is  again  apparent.  A  kingdom  so 
constituted  was  an  entirely  new  thing  in  the  world. 
Previously  it  had  been  a  matter  of  race  or  of  place  or 
of  forced  subjection.  The  forefathers  of  these  people 
had  belonged  to  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  because  they 
belonged  to  Israel's  race ;  themselves  belonged  to  the 
empire  of  Rome,  because  their  country  had  been  con- 
quered and  they  were  obliged  to  acknowledge  Rome's 


v„vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  6l 


sway  ;  moreover,  they  were  subjects  of  Herod  Antipas, 
simply  because  they  lived  in  Galilee.  Here  was  a 
kingdom  in  which  race  distinctions  had  no  place, 
which  took  no  account  of  territorial  limits,  which  made 
no  appeal  to  force  of  arms  or  rights  of  conquest — a 
kingdom  founded  on  character. 

Yet  it  is  no  mere  aristocracy  of  natural  virtue.  It 
is  not  a  Royal  Academy  of  the  spiritually  noble  and 
great.  Its  line  seems  rather  to  stretch  down  to  the 
lowest,  for  who  else  are  the  poor  in  spirit  ?  And 
the  mourners  and  the  meek  are  no  elect  classes  of 
nature's  nobility.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  it  runs 
up  to  heights  even  quite  out  of  sight  of  the  easy- 
going virtue  of  the  day ;  for  those  who  belong  to  this 
kingdom  are  men  full  of  eager  aspirations,  bent  on 
heart  purity,  given  to  efforts  for  the  good  of  others, 
ready  even  to  suffer  the  loss  of  all  things  for  truth 
and  righteousness'  sake.  The  line  is  stretched  so  far 
down  that  even  the  lowest  may  enter ;  yet  it  runs  up 
so  high  that  those  have  no  place  in  it  who  are  satisfied 
with  mere  average  morality,  who  count  it  enough  to 
be  free  from  vices  that  degrade  the  man,  and  innocent 
of  crimes  that  offend  the  state.  Most  respectable 
citizens  of  an  earthly  commonwealth  such  honest  men 
may  be ;  but  no  kingdom  of  heaven  is  open  to  such 
as  they.  The  foundations  of  common  morality  are  of 
course  assumed,  as  is  made  specially  evident  in  the 
next  division  of  the  great  discourse;  but  it  would 
have  been  quite  misleading  had  the  Herald  of  heaven's 
kingdom  said  "  Blessed  are  the  honest,"  or  "  Blessed 
is  the  man  who  tells  no  lies."  The  common  virtues 
are  quite  indispensable ;  but  there  must  be  something 
beyond  these — first  a  sense  of  need  of  something  far 
higher  and  better,  then  a  hungering  and  thirsting  after 


62  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

it,  and  as  a  necessary  consequence  some  attainment 
of  it,  in  order  to  citizenship  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
and  enjoyment  of  its  blessedness. 

The  last  beatitude  breaks  forth  into  a  song  of  joy, 
No  light-hearted  joy,  as  of  those  who  shut  their  eyes 
to  the  dark  things  in  life,  but  joy  in  facing  the  very 
worst  the  world  can  do :  "  Blessed  are  ye  when  men 
shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all 
manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  My  sake. 
Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad."  O  wonderful  alchemy 
of  heaven,  which  can  change  earth's  dust  and  ashes 
into  purest  gold  !  Think,  too,  what  riches  and  royalty 
of  spirit  in  place  of  the  poverty  with  which  the  series 
began. 

These  eightb£aliiujd£S_.  are  the  diatonic  scale  of 
heavens  music.  Its  key-note  is  blessing;  its  upper" 
'octave,  joy]  THose  who  heard  it  first  with  quickened 
souls  could  no  longer  doubt  that  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  was  at  hand ;  indeed,  was  there  on  the  mountain 
that  day ! 

2.  In  relation  to  the  world  (vv.  13-16). 

The  original  promise  to  Abraham  was  twofold  :  M I 
will  bless  thee,"  "  Thou  shalt  be  a  blessing "  (Gen. 
xii.  2).  The  beatitudes  correspond  to  the  former,  the 
passage  before  us  to  the  latter.  The  beatitudes  are, 
so  to  speak,  the  home  affairs  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven ;  the  passage  which  follows  is  occupied  with 
foreign  relations.  Those  spoke  of  blessedness  within, 
this  speaks  of  usefulness  without ;  for  the  disciples 
of  Christ  are  known  not  only  by  their  personal 
character  and  disposition,  but  also  by  their  influence  on 
others. 

The  relations  of  the  members  of  the  kingdom  to 
A those   that  are  without"    is  a  complex  and  difficult 


r.,  vi.,  vil]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  63 

subject ;  but  the  essence  of  it  is  set  forth  with  sur- 
passing clearness,  comprehensiveness  and  simplicity 
by  the  use  of  two  unpretentious  but  most  expressive 
figures,  almost  infinite  in  their  suggestiveness — salt  and 
light.  This  is  our  first  experience  of  a  well-known 
characteristic  of  the  teaching  of  Christ — viz.,  His  use 
of  the  simplest  and  most  familiar  objects  of  nature  and 
circumstances  of  daily  life,  to  convey  highest  and  most 
important  truth;  and  at  once  we  recognise  the  touch 
of  the  Master.  We  cannot  fail  to  see  that  out  of  all 
nature's  infinity  He  has  selected  the  two  illustrations, — 
the  only  two,  which  exactly  fit  and  fill  the  purpose  for 
which  He  employs  them.  To  the  thoughtful  mind 
there  is  something  here  which  prepares  for  such  tokens 
of  mastery  over  nature  as  are  found  later  on  in  the 
hushing  of  the  storm  and  the  stilling  of  the  sea. 

"Salt"  suggests  the  conservative,  "light"  the  liberal, 
side  of  the  politics  of  the  kingdom;  but  the  two  are 
not  in  opposition,  they  are  in  fullest  harmony,  the  one 
being  the  complement  of  the  other.  Christian  people, 
if  they  are  what  they  profess  to  be,  are  all  conservatives 
and  all  liberals :  conservators  of  all  that  is  good,  and 
diffusers  of  all  that  is  of  the  nature  of  light.  Each 
of  these  sides  of  Christian  influence  is  presented  in 
succession. 

"  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth"  The  metaphor  sug- 
gests the  sad  fact  that,  whatever  tendency  to  upward 
development  there  may  be  in  the  world  of  nature,  there 
is  a  contrary  tendency  in  the  world  of  men,  so  far  as 
character  is  concerned.  The  world  has  often  made 
great  advances  in  civilisation ;  but  these,  unless  counter- 
acted by  forces  from  above,  have  always  been  accom- 
panied by  a  degeneracy  in  morals,  which  in  course  of 
time  has  brought  about  the  ruin  of  mighty  states.     All 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


that  is  best  and  most  hopeful  in  mere  worldly  civilisa- 
tion has  in  it  the  canker  of  moral  evil, 

11  That  rotting  inward  slowly  moulders  all." 

The  only  possible  counteractive  is  the  introduction  of 
an  element  into  society  which  will  hold  in  check  the 
forces  that  make  for  unrighteousness,  and  be  itself  an 
elevating  and  purifying  influence.  Such  an  element 
Christians  were  to  be  in  the  world. 

Such,  to  a  large  extent,  they  have  been.  That  they 
were  the  salt  of  the  Roman  empire  during  the  evil 
days  of  its  decline,  no  student  of  history  can  fail  to  see. 
Again,  in  the  "  dark  ages  "  that  followed,  we  can  still 
trace  the  sweetening  influence  of  those  holy  lives  which 
were  scattered  like  shining  grains  of  salt  through  the 
ferment  and  seething  of  the  times.  So  it  has  been 
throughout,  and  is  still.  It  is  true  that  there  is  no 
longer  the  sharp  distinction  between  Christians  and  the 
world  which  there  was  in  days  when  it  cost  something 
to  confess  Christ.  There  are  now  so  many  Christians 
in  name  who  are  not  so  in  reality,  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  so  many  in  reality  who  are  not  so  in  name,  and 
moreover  so  many  who  are  Christians  neither  in  name 
nor  in  reality,  but  who  are  nevertheless  unconsciously 
guided  by  Christian  principles  as  the  result  of  the  wide 
diffusion  of  Christian  thought  and  sentiment — that  the 
conservative  influence  of  distinctive  Christianity  is  very 
difficult  to  estimate  and  is  far  less  appreciated  than  it 
should  be.  But  it  is  as  real  and  efficient  as  ever.  If 
Christianity,  as  a  conservative  force  in  society,  were  to 
be  suddenly  eliminated,  the  social  fabric  would  fall  in 
ruins  ;  but  if  only  the  salt  were  all  genuine,  if  Christian 
people  everywhere  had  the  savour  of  the  eight  beatitudes 
about  them,  their  conservative  power  as  to  all  that  is 


v.,  vi.,  vil]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM,  65 

good,  and  restraining  influence  as  to  all  that  is  evil, 
would  be  so  manifest  and  mighty  that  none  could 
question  it. 

If  the  salt  would  only  keep  its  savour — there  is  the 
weak  point.  We  know  and  feel  it  after  the  experience 
of  all  these  centuries.  And  did  not  our  omniscient 
Lord  lay  His  finger  on  it  at  the  very  outset?  He 
needed  not  that  any  one  should  tell  Him  what  was  in 
man.  He  knew  that  there  was  that  in  His  truth  which 
would  be  genuinely  and  efficiently  conservative ;  but 
He  knew  equally  well  that  there  was  that  in  man  which 
would  to  a  large  extent  neutralise  that  conservative 
power,  that  the  salt  would  be  in  constant  danger  of 
losing  its  savour.  Hence,  after  the  encouraging  words 
"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth,"  He  gives  an  earnest 
warning  which  necessarily  moderates  the  too  sanguine 
anticipations  that  would  otherwise  have  been  excited. 

Alas  !  with  what  sad  certainty  has  history  proved 
the  need  of  this  warning  !  The  salt  lost  its  savour  in 
the  churches  of  the  East,  or  it  would  never  have  been 
cast  out  and  trodden  underfoot  of  the  Mohammedan 
invaders.  It  lost  its  savour  in  the  West,  or  there 
would  have  been  no  papal  corruption,  growing  worse 
and  worse  till  it  seemed  as  if  Western  Christendom 
must  in  turn  be  dissolved — a  fate  which  was  only 
averted  by  the  fresh  salt  of  the  Reformation  revival. 
In  modern  times  there  is  ever  the  same  danger,  some- 
times affecting  all  the  churches,  as  in  the  dark  days 
preceding  the  revival  under  Whitefield  and  Wesley, 
always  affecting  some  of  them  or  some  portions  of 
them,  as  is  too  apparent  on  every  hand  in  these  days 
in  which  we  live.  There  is  as  much  need  as  ever  to 
lay  to  heart  the  solemn  warning  of  the  King.  It  is  as 
pungent  as  salt  itself.     u  Of  what  use,"  He  asks,  "  is 

5 


66  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

tasteless  salt  ?  It  is  fit  only  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden 
under  foot  of  men."  Equally  useless  is  the  so-called 
Christian,  who  has  nothing  in  character  or  life  to 
distinguish  him  from  the  world ;  who,  though  he  may 
be  honest  and  truthful  and  sober,  a  very  respectable 
citizen  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  has  none  of  the  charac- 
teristic marks  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  none  of  the 
savour  of  the  beatitudes  about  him.  It  is  only  because 
there  are  still  so  many  savourless  Christians  that  the 
value  of  the  Church  as  a  conservative  influence  on 
society  is  so  little  recognised ;  and  that  there  are  so 
many  critics,  not  all  unintelligent  or  wilfully  unfair, 
who  begin  to  think  it  is  time  that  it  were  cast  out 
and  trodden  under  foot  of  men. 

"  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world."  We  need  not  stay 
to  show  the  liberality  of  light.  Its  peculiar  charac- 
teristic is  giving,  spending ;  for  this  purpose  wholly  it 
exists,  losing  its  own  life  in  order  to  find  it  again  in 
brightness  diffused  on  all  around. 

Observe,  it  is  not  "Ye  carry  the  light,"  but  "Ye  are 
the  light."  We  are  apt  to  think  of  light  in  the  abstract — 
as  truth,  as  doctrine,  as  something  to  be  believed  and 
held  and  expounded.  We  quote  the  familiar  words, 
"Great  is  the  Truth,  and  it  shall  prevail,"  and  we 
imagine  they  are  true.  They  are  true  indeed,  in  the 
long  run,  but  not  as  often  understood,  certainly  not  in 
the  region  of  the  moral  and  spiritual.  Of  course  truth 
in  the  abstract,  especially  moral  and  spiritual  truth, 
ought  to  prevail ;  but  it  never  does  when  men's  inter- 
ests lie,  or  seem  to  lie,  in  the  contrary  direction.  Such 
truth,  to  be  mighty,  must  be  vitalised ;  it  must  glow 
in  human  hearts,  burn  on  human  tongues,  shine  in 
human  lives.     The  King  of  truth  knew  this  well ;  and 


v.,  vi.,vii.J     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  67 

hence  He  placed  the  hope  of  the  future,  the  hope  of 
dispelling  the  world's  darkness,  not  in  abstract  truth, 
but  in  truth  incarnate  in  the  true  disciple :  a  Ye  are 
the  light  of  the  world." 

In  the  strictest  and  highest  sense,  of  course,  Christ 
Himself  is  the  Light  of  the  world.  This  is  beautifully 
set  forth  in  discourses  reported  by  another  Evangelist 
(John  viii.  12,  ix.  5);  and,  indeed,  it  has  been  already 
taught  by  implication  in  the  Evangel  before  us,  where, 
as  we  have  seen,  the  opening  of  Christ's  ministry  is 
likened  to  sunrise  in  the  land  of  Zebulon  and  Naphtali 
(chap.  iv.  16).  But  the  personal  Christ  cannot  remain 
upon  the  earth.  Only  for  a  few  years  can  He  be  in 
this  way  the  Light  of  the  world,  as  He  expressly  says 
in  one  of  the  passages  above  referred  to  (John  ix.  5) ; 
and  He  is  speaking  now  not  for  the  next  few  years 
but  for  the  coming  centuries,  during  which  He  must 
be  represented  by  His  faithful  disciples,  appointed  to 
be  His  witnesses  (Acts  i.  8)  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ; 
so  at  once  He  puts  the  responsibility  on  them,  and 
says,  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world." 

This  responsibility  it  was  impossible  to  avoid.  As 
a  matter  of  course,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  must  be  a 
prominent  object  in  the  sight  of  men.  The  mountain 
of  the  Lord's  house  must  be  established  on  the  top 
of  the  mountains  (Isa.  ii.  2),  and  therefore  may  not 
be  inconspicuous:  "A  city  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be 
hid."  It  has  been  often  said,  but  it  will  bear  repeat- 
ing, that  Christians  are  the  world's  Bible.  People  who 
never  read  a  word  of  either  Old  or  New  Testament 
will  read  the  lives  of  those  who  profess  to  draw  their 
inspiration  thence,  and  will  judge  accordingly.  They 
will  form  their  opinions  of  Christ  and  of  His  kingdom 
by  those  who  call  themselves  or  are  called  by  othera 


68  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Christians.  "  A  city  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid." 
Here  we  have  a  truth  complementary  to  that  other 
conveyed  in  the  symbol  of  salt.  It  taught  that  true 
Christians  exert  a  great  deal  of  silent,  unobserved  in- 
fluence, as  of  salt  hidden  in  a  mass ;  but,  besides  this, 
there  is  their  position  as  connected  with  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  which  forbids  their  being  wholly  hid. 

Indeed,  it  is  their  duty  to  see  to  it  that  they  are 
not  artificially  hid  :  "  Neither  do  men  light  a  lamp, 
and  put  it  under  the  bushel,  but  on  the  stand ;  and  it 
shineth  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house "  (R.V.).  How 
beautifully  does  the  illustration  lend  itself  to  the  needed 
caution  against  timidity,  without  giving  the  least  en- 
couragement to  the  opposite  vice  of  ostentation  !  Why 
does  light  shine  ?  Simply  because  it  cannot  help  it ;  it 
is  its  nature ;  without  effort  or  even  consciousness,  and 
making  no  noise,  it  quietly  does  its  duty ;  and  in  the 
doing  of  it  does  not  encourage  but  even  forbids  any 
looking  at  itself — and  the  brighter  it  is,  the  more 
severely  does  it  forbid  it.  But  while  there  is  no 
ostentatious  obtrusiveness  on  the  one  hand,  there  is 
no  ignoble  shirking  on  the  other.  Who  would  ever 
think  of  kindling  a  light  and  then  putting  it  under  a 
bed?  Yet  how  many  Christians  do  that  very  thing 
when  they  are  called  to  work  for  Christ,  to  let  the 
light  He  has  given  them  shine  in  some  of  the  daik 
places  where  it  is  most  needed  I 

Here,  again,  our  Lord  lays  His  finger  on  a  weak 
spot.  The  Church  suffers  sorely,  not  only  from  quan- 
tities of  savourless  salt, — people  calling  themselves 
Christians  who  have  little  or  nothing  distinctively  Chris- 
tian about  them, — but  also  from  bushel-covered  lights, 
those  who  are  genuinely  Christian,  but  who  do  all  they 
can  to  hide  it,  refusing  to  speak  on  the  subject,  afraid 


c,  vi.,  vii.]      THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  69 

to  show  earnestness  even  when  they  feel  it  most,  care- 
fully repressing  every  impulse  to  let  their  light  shine 
before  men,  doing  everything,  in  fact,  which  is  possible 
to  render  their  testimony  to  Christ  as  feeble,  and  their 
influence  as  Christians  as  small,  as  it  can  be.  How 
many  in  all  our  Christian  communities  are  constantly 
haunted  by  a  nervous  fear  lest  people  should  think 
them  forward !  For  one  person  who  makes  a  parade 
of  his  Christianity  there  are  a  hundred  or  a  thousand 
who  want  always  to  shrink  into  a  corner.  This  is  not 
modesty ;  it  is  the  sign  of  an  unnatural  self-conscious- 
ness. The  disciples  of  Christ  should  act  simply, 
naturally,  unconsciously,  neither  making  a  display  on 
the  one  hand  nor  hiding  their  light  on  the  other.  So 
the  Master  puts  it  most  beautifully  and  suggestively : 
"  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works  "  (not  the  worker — that  is  of  no 
consequence — but  the  works),  u  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven." 

So  closes  the  first  great  division  of  the  Manifesto 
of  the  King.  It  had  begun  with  "goodwill  to  men"; 
it  has  shown  the  way  of  "  peace  on  earth  " ;  it  closes 
with  "glory  to  God  in  the  highest."  It  is  a  prolonged 
echo  of  the  angels'  song.  The  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom, 
not  only  as  set  forth  here  in  these  beautiful  paragraphs, 
but  in  all  its  length  and  breadth  and  depth  and  height, 
in  all  its  range  and  scope  and  application,  is  but  an 
expansion  of  its  very  first  proclamation  :  "  Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  goodwill  to  men." 

II.  The  Law  of  the  Kingdom  (v.  if — vii.  12). 

I.  General  principles  (vv.  17-20). 
After    blessing    comes    obligation — after    beatitude, 
law.     It  is  the  same  order  as  of  old.    The  old  covenant 


70  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

was  in  its  origin  and  essence  a  covenant  of  promise,  of 
blessing.  Mercy,  not  duty,  was  its  key-note.  When 
God  called  Abraham  to  the  land  of  promise,  His  first 
word  was  :  °  I  will  bless  thee,  and  make  thy  name 
great;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing"  (Gen.  xii.  2). 
Later  on  came  the  obligation  resulting,  as  in  Genesis 
xvii.  I  :  "  Walk  before  me,  and  be  thou  perfect."  So 
in  the  history  of  the  Nation,  the  promise  came  first  and 
the  law  followed  it  after  an  interval  of  four  hundred 
years — a  fact  of  which  special  use  is  made  by  the 
Apostle  Paul  (Gal.  iii.  17,  18).  The  Mosaic  dispensa- 
tion itself  began  by  an  acknowledgment  of  the  ancient 
promise  ("I  am  the  God  of  your  fathers" — Ex.  iii.  6), 
and  a  fresh  declaration  of  Divine  mercy  ("  I  know  their 
sorrows,  and  am  come  to  deliver  them  " — Ex.  iii.  7,  8). 
When  Mount  Sinai  was  reached,  the  entire  covenant 
was  summarised  in  two  sentences,  the  first  reciting  the 
blessing,  the  second  setting  forth  the  resulting  obliga- 
tion :  "  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and 
tell  the  children  of  Israel ;  Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto 
the  Egyptians,  and  how  I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings, 
and  brought  you  unto  Myself.  Now,  therefore,  if  ye 
will  obey  My  voice  indeed,  and  keep  My  covenant,  then 
ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure  unto  Me  above  all 
people"  (Ex.  xix.  3-5).  The  very  Decalogue  itself  is 
constructed  on  the  same  principle ;  for  bef jre  a  single 
commandment  is  given,  attention  is  called  to  the  great 
salvation  which  has  been  wrought  on  their  behalf:  "  I 
am  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  brought  thee  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage."  Thus  closely 
does  the  proclamation  of  the  new  kingdom  follow  the 
lines  of  the  old ;  far  above  and  beyond  it  in  respect  of 
development,  in  essence  it  is  the  same. 

It  was  therefore  most  appropriate  that,  in  entering  on 


v.,  vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE   KINGDOM.  71 

the  subject  of  the  law  of  His  kingdom  Christ  should 
begin  with  the  caution,  M  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to 
destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets."  On  this  point  there 
would  necessarily  be  the  greatest  sensitiveness  on  the 
part  of  the  people.  The  law  was  their  glory — all  their 
history  had  gathered  round  it,  the  prophets  had  en- 
forced and  applied  it ;  their  sacred  Scriptures,  known 
broadly  as  "  The  Law  and  the  Prophets,"  had  enshrined 
it.  Was  it,  then,  to  be  set  aside  for  new  legislation  ? 
The  feeling  was  quite  natural  and  proper.  It  was 
necessary,  therefore,  that  the  new  King  should  set 
Himself  right  on  a  matter  so  important.  He  has  not 
come  to  overturn  everything.  He  accepts  the  old 
covenant  more  cordially  and  thoroughly  than  they  do, 
as  will  presently  appear ;  He  will  build  on  it  as  a  sure 
foundation ;  and  whatever  in  His  legislation  may  be 
new  grows  naturally  out  of  the  old.  It  is,  moreover, 
worthy  of  notice  that  while  the  Mosaic  economy  is 
specially  in  His  mind,  He  does  not  entirely  leave  out 
of  consideration  the  elements  of  truth  in  other  religious 
systems ;  and  therefore  defines  the  attitude  He  assumes 
as  a  Legislator  and  Prophet,  in  terms  of  the  widest 
generality  :  "  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil." 

While  in  the  widest  sense  He  came  not  to  destroy  but 
to  fulfil,  so  that  He  could  with  fullest  liberality  acknow- 
ledge what  was  good  and  true  in  the  work  of  all  former 
teachers,  whoever  and  wherever  they  had  been,  thus 
accepting  and  incorporating  their  "broken  lights"  as 
part  of  His  "  Light  of  the  world  "  (compare  John  i.  9), 
He  can  speak  of  the  old  covenant  in  a  way  in  which 
it  would  have  been  impossible  to  speak  of  the  work  of 
earth's  greatest  and  best.  He  can  accept  it  as  a  whole 
without  any  reservation  or  deduction  :  "  For  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one 


72  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be 
fulfilled."  Observe,  however,  that  this  statement  is  not 
at  all  inconsistent  with  what  He  teaches  concerning  the 
temporary  character  of  much  of  the  Mosaic  legislation  ; 
it  simply  makes  it  clear  that  whatever  passes  away, 
does  not  pass  by  destruction,  but  by  fulfilment — i.e.,  the 
evolution  of  its  hidden  life — as  the  bud  passes  into 
the  rose.  The  bud  is  there  no  longer;  but  it  is  not 
destroyed,  it  is  fulfilled  in  the  rose.  So  with  the  law 
as  infolded  in  the  Old  Testament,  unfolded  in  the  New. 
How  well  fitted  to  inspire  all  thoughtful  minds  with 
confidence  must  have  been  the  discovery  that  the 
policy  of  the  new  kingdom  was  to  be  on  the  lines,  not 
of  brand-new  experimental  legislation,  but  of  Divine 
evolution ! 

Not  only  does  He  Himself  do  homage  to  the  law,  but 
takes  order  that  His  followers  shall  do  the  same.  It  is 
no  parting  compliment  that  He  pays  the  old  covenant. 
It  is  to  be  kept  up  both  in  the  doing  and  in  the  teach- 
ing, from  generation  to  generation,  even  in  its  least 
commandments.  Not  that  there  is  to  be  such  insistence 
on  very  small  matters  as  to  exclude  altogether  from 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  those  who  do  not  press  every 
jot  and  tittle;  but  that  these  will  be  reckoned  of 
such  importance,  that  those  who  are  lax  in  doctrine 
and  practice  in  regard  to  them  must  be  counted 
among  the  least  in  the  kingdom ;  while  those  who 
destroy  nothing,  but  seek  to  fulfil  everything,  will  be 
the  great  ones.  What  a  foundation  is  laid  here  for 
reverence  of  all  that  is  contained  in  the  law  and  the 
prophets  !  And  has  it  not  been  found  that  even  in  the 
very  smallest  features  of  the  old  covenant,  even  in 
the  details  of  the  tabernacle  worship,  for  example,  there 
is  for  the  devout  and  intelligent  Christian  a  treasury  of 


v.,vi.,vii.]     THE   GOSPEL  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  73 


valuable  suggestion  ?  Only  we  must  beware  of  putting 
jots  and  tittles  in  the  place  that  belongs  to  the  weightier 
matters  of  the  law,  of  which  we  have  warnings  sufficient 
in  the  conduct  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  Their 
righteousness  had  the  appearance  of  extending  to  the 
minutest  matters;  but,  large  as  it  seemed  in  popular 
eyes,  it  was  not  nearly  large  enough ;  and  accordingly, 
in  closing  this  general  definition  of  His  relation  to  the 
old  covenant,  our  Lord  had  to  interpose  this  solemn 
warning :  "  I  say  unto  you,  that  except  your  righteous- 
ness shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  Theirs  was  a  righteousness  as  it  were  of 
the  tips  of  the  fingers,  whereas  He  must  have  "the 
whole  body  full  of  light " ;  theirs  was  a  righteousness 
that  tithed  mint  and  anise  and  cummin,  and  neglected 
judgment,  mercy  and  faith ;  theirs  was  in  the  narrow 
sphere  of  the  letter,  that  which  He  demanded  must  be 
in  the  large  and  lofty  region  of  the  Spirit. 

2.  Illustrations  from  the  Moral  Law  (vv.  21-48). 

The  selection  of  illustrative  instances  is  made  with 
consummate  skill.  Our  Lord,  avoiding  that  which  is 
specially  Jewish  in  its  interest,  treats  of  matters  that 
are  of  worldwide  importance.  He  deals  with  the 
broadest  principles  of  righteousness  as  adapted  to  the 
universal  conscience  of  mankind,  starting  at  the  lowest 
point  of  mere  earthly  morality  and  rising  to  the  very 
highest  development  of  Christian  character,  thus  leading 
up  to  the  magnificent  conclusion  :  "  Be  ye  therefore 
perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect." 

He  begins  with  the  crime  which  the  natural  conscience 
most  strongly  and  instinctively  condemns,  the  crime  of 
murder ;  and  shows  that  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  and 


74  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

those  who  had  been  like  them  in  bygone  days,  really 
destroyed  the  sixth  commandment  by  limiting  its  range 
to  the  muscles,  so  that,  if  there  were  no  actual  killing, 
the  commandment  was  not  broken  ;  whereas  its  true 
sphere  was  the  heart,  the  essence  of  the  forbidden 
crime  being  found  in  unjustifiable  anger,  even  though 
no  word  is  uttered  or  muscle  moved, — a  view  of  the 
case  which  ought  to  have  been  suggested  to  the  intelli- 
gent student  of  the  law  by  such  words  as  these  :  "  Thou 
shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thine  heart "  (Lev.  xix. 
17);  or  again:  "  Whoso  killeth  his  neighbour  ignor- 
antly,  whom  he  hated  not  in  time  past,  ...  is  not 
worthy  of  death,  inasmuch  as  he  hated  him  not  in 
time  past "  (Deut.  xix.  4).  Hatred  in  the  heart,  then, 
is  murder.  How  searching !  And  how  terribly  severe 
the  sentence  1  Even  in  its  least  aggravated  form  it  is 
the  same  as  that  decreed  against  the  actual  shedding 
of  blood.  All  the  three  sentences  are  death-penalties, 
only  there  are  aggravations  in  the  penalty  where  there 
are  aggravations  in  the  offence.  Such  is  the  Saviour's 
teaching  on  the  great  subject  of  sin.  Yet  there  are 
those  who  imagine  that  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is 
all  the  gospel  they  need  1 

The  two  practical  applications  which  follow  press  the 
searching  subject  home.  The  one  has  reference  to  the 
Throne  of  Grace,  and  teaches  that  all  offences  against  a 
brother  must  be  put  away  before  approaching  it.  The 
other  has  reference  to  the  Throne  of  Judgment,  and 
teaches  by  a  familiar  illustration  drawn  from  common 
experience  in  the  courts  of  Palestine  that  it  is  an 
awful  thing  to  think  of  standing  there  with  the  memory 
of  a  single  angry  feeling  that  had  not  been  forgiven  and 
utterly  removed  (v.  26). 

The  crime  of  adultery  furnishes  the  next  illustra- 


v.,  vi.,  vii.]     THE  GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  75 

tion  ;  and  He  deals  with  it  on  the  same  lofty  principles 
and  with  the  same  terrible  severity.  He  shows  that 
this  crime,  too,  is  of  the  heart — that  even  a  wanton 
look  is  a  commission  of  it ;  and  again  follows  up  His 
searching  exposition  by  a  twofold  practical  applica- 
tion, first  showing  that  personal  purity  must  be  main- 
tained at  any  cost  (vv.  29,  30),  and  then  guarding 
the  sacredness  of  home,  by  that  exaltation  of  the 
marriage  bond  which  has  secured  the  emancipation 
of  woman  and  her  elevation  to  her  proper  sphere, 
and  kept  in  check  those  frightful  evils  which  are 
ever  threatening  to  defile  the  pure  and  sacred  spring 
from  which  society  derives  its  life  and  sustenance 
(vv.  31,  32). 

Next  comes  the  crime  of  perjury — a  compound  sin, 
which  breaks  at  the  same  time  two  commandments  of 
the  Decalogue,  the  third  and  the  ninth.  Here,  again, 
our  Lord  shows  that,  if  only  due  homage  is  paid  in 
the  heart  to  reverence  and  to  truth,  all  swearing  is 
superseded.  Let  a  man  habitually  live  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord  all  the  day  long,  and  "  his  word  is  as  good 
as  his  oath " — he  will  always  speak  the  truth,  and 
will  be  incapable  of  taking  the  name  of  the  Lord  in 
vain.  It  is  of  course  to  be  remembered  that  these  are 
the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ ;  not  laws  meant 
for  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  which  have  to  do  with 
men  of  all  sorts,  but  for  a  kingdom  made  up  of  those 
who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  who  seek 
and  find  purity  of  heart.  This  passage  accordingly 
has  no  bearing  on  the  procedure  of  secular  courts 
of  justice.  But,  though  the  use  of  oaths  may  still  be 
a  necessity  in  the  world,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
they  have  no  place.  The  simple  "  Yea,  yea,"  '*  Nay, 
nay,"  is   quite  enough  where   there   is   truth   in   the 


76  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

inward  parts  and  the  fear  of  God  before  the  eyes ; 
and  the  feeling  of  reverence,  not  only  for  God  Himself 
but  for  all  the  works  of  His  hands,  will  effectually 
prevent  the  most  distant  approach  to  profanity. 

The  sin  of  revenge  furnishes  the  next  illustration. 
The  Pharisaic  perversion  of  the  old  law  actually  sanc- 
tioned private  revenge,  on  the  ground  of  a  statute 
intended  for  the  guidance  of  the  courts  of  justice,  and 
given  for  the  sake  of  curbing  the  revengeful  spirit 
which  without  it  would  lead  a  prosecutor  to  demand 
that  his  enemy  should  suffer  more  than  he  had  inflicted. 
In  this  way  they  really  destroyed  that  part  of  the 
Mosaic  legislation,  whereas  He  fulfilled  it  by  develop- 
ing still  further, — bringing,  in  fact,  to  perfection, — that 
spirit  of  humanity  which  had  dictated  the  law  at  the 
first.  The  true  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  legislation  was  to 
discourage  private  revenge  by  assigning  such  cases 
to  the  courts,  and  curbing  it  still  further  by  the  limita- 
tion of  the  penalty  imposed.  Was  not  this  spirit  most 
nobly  fulfilled,  carried  to  its  highest  development,  wheo 
the  Saviour  laid  it  down  as  the  law  of  His  kingdom 
that  our  revenge  is  to  be  the  returning  of  good  for 
evil  ? 

The  four  practical  illustrations  (w.  39-42)  have 
been  a  source  of  difficulty,  but  only  to  those  who 
forget  that  our  Saviour  is  all  the  while  warning 
against  "  the  letter  that  killeth,"  and  showing  the  need 
of  catching  ft  the  spirit "  of  a  commandment  which 
"giveth  life"  to  it.  To  deal  with  these  illustrations 
according  to  the  letter,  as  telling  us  exactly  what  to 
do  in  particular  cases,  is  not  to  fulfil  but  to  destroy 
the  Saviour's  words.  The  great  thing,  therefore,  is  to 
catch  their  spirit ;  then  they  will  be  found  of  use,  not 
for  so  many  specified  cases,  but  for  all  cases  what- 


v.,vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  77 

ever.  As  an  illustration  of  the  difficulties  to  which  we 
refer,  mention  may  be  made  of  the  prejudice  against 
the  passage  which  suggests  the  turning  of  the  other 
cheek,  on  the  ground  that  it  encourages  a  craven 
spirit.  Take  it  as  a  definite  command,  and  this  would 
be  in  many  cases  the  result.  It  would  be  the  result 
wherever  fear  or  pusillanimity  was  the  motive.  But 
where  is  there  in  all  this  passage  the  least  trace  of 
fear  or  pusillanimity  ?  It  is  all  love  and  magnanimity 
It  is  the  very  antipodes  of  the  craven  spirit.  It  is 
the  heroism  of  self-denying  love  ! 

The  last  illustration  cuts  at  the  root  of  all  sin  and 
crime,  the  tap-root  of  selfishness.  The  scribes  and 
Pharisees  had  made  use  of  those  regulations,  most 
needful  at  the  time,  which  separated  Israel  from  other 
nations,  as  an  excuse  for  restricting  the  range  of  love 
to  those  prepared  to  render  an  equivalent.  Thus  that 
wonderful  statute  of  the  old  legislation,  "Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself,"  was  actually  made  a 
minister  to  selfishness  ;  so  that,  instead  of  leading  them 
to  a  life  above  the  world,  it  left  them  not  a  whit  better 
than  the  lowest  and  most  selfish  of  the  people.  "If 
ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye? 
Do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same  ?  "  Thus  was  the 
noble  "royal  law  according  to  the  Scripture"  destroyed 
by  the  petty  quibbling  use  of  the  word  "neighbour." 
Our  Lord  fulfilled  it  by  giving  to  the  word  neighbour 
its  proper  meaning,  its  widest  extent,  including  even 
those  who  have  wronged  us  in  thought  or  word  or 
deed,  "  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them 
that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and 
pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute 
you." 

How  lofty,  how  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  natural 


78  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

man  ! — but  not  impossible,  or  it  would  not  have  been 
demanded.  It  is  one  of  the  things  of  the  kingdom 
concerning  which  the  assurance  is  given  later  on  :  "  Ask, 
and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find."  Still, 
the  Master  knows  full  well  that  it  is  no  small  demand 
He  is  making  of  poor  human  nature.  So  at  this  point 
He  leads  our  thoughts  upward  to  our  Father  in 
heaven,  suggesting  in  that  relationship  the  possibility 
of  its  attainment  (for  why  should  not  a  child  be  like 
its  father  ?)  and  the  only  example  possible,  for  this 
was  a  range  of  righteousness  beyond  the  reach  of  all 
that  had  gone  before — He  Himself  as  the  Son  of  the 
Father  would  later  set  it  forth  before  the  eyes  of  men 
in  all  its  lustre.  But  that  time  is  yet  to  come,  and 
meantime  He  can  only  point  upward  to  the  Highest, 
and  urge  them  to  this  loftiest  height  of  righteousness 
by  the  tender  plea,  "  That  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven :  for  He  maketh  His 
sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust." 

How  beautiful  and  expressive  are  these  symbols 
from  nature,  and  how  encouraging  the  interpretation 
of  nature  His  use  of  them  suggests !  And  what  shall 
we  say  of  their  suggestiveness  in  the  higher  sphere  of 
the  spirit?  Already  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  rising 
with  healing  in  His  wings  ;  and  in  due  time  the  rain 
of  the  Spirit  will  fall  in  fulness  of  blessing ;  so  shall 
His  disciples  receive  all  that  is  needful  to  raise  them  to 
the  very  highest  in  character  and  conduct,  in  beatitude 
and  righteousness ;  and  accordingly  their  Master  may 
well  finish  His  whole  exposition  of  the  morals  of  the 
kingdom  with  the  stirring,  stimulating  call,  "  Be  ye 
therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven  is  perfect" 


v.,  vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  79 

3.  Illustrations  from  Religious  Duty  (vi.  I- 18). 

The  righteousness  of  the  kingdom  is  still  the  great 
subject ;  for  the  reading  of  the  Revised  Version  in  the 
first  verse  of  the  chapter  is  evidently  the  correct  one. 
The  illustrations  of  the  preceding  passage  have  all 
come  under  the  head  of  what  we  call  morality  as  dis- 
tinguished from  religion,  but  it  is  important  to  observe 
that  our  Lord  gives  no  sanction  to  the  separation  of 
the  two. 

Morality  divorced  from  religion  is  a  flower  without 
root,  which  may  bloom  for  a  while,  but  in  the  end 
must  wither  away;  religion  without  morality  is — nothing 
at  all;  worse  than  nothing,  for  it  is  a  sham.  It  is 
evident,  of  course,  that  this  great  word  "  righteousness," 
as  used  by  our  Lord,  has  a  far  wider  scope  than  is 
given  to  it  by  those  who  take  it  merely  as  the  equiva- 
lent of  truth  and  honesty,  as  if  a  man  could  in  any 
proper  sense  of  the  word  be  righteous,  who  was 
ungenerous  to  his  neighbours,  unfilial  to  God,  or  not 
master  of  himself. 

Again,  we  have  a  principle  laid  down :  u  Take  heed 
that  ye  do  not  your  righteousness  before  men,  to  be 
seen  of  them  "  (R.  V.).  It  is  the  same  great  principle 
as  before,  though  the  caution  in  which  it  is  embodied 
is  different.  For  if  we  compare  ver.  20  of  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  remember  its  subsequent  development  in 
the  verses  which  follow,  we  find  that  it  agrees  with 
the  warning  before  us  in  insisting  on  righteousness  of 
the  heart  as  distinguished  from  that  which  is  merely 
outward.  The  difference  lies  in  this,  that  whereas,  in 
the  cases  already  dealt  with,  external  conformity  with 
the  law  is  good  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  does  not  go  nearly 
far  enough  ("  except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed," 
exceed,  i.e.,  by  reaching  back  and  down  to  the  deepest 


8o  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

recesses  of  the  heart),  in  the  cases  now  to  be  taken  up 
external  conformity  is  not  good  in  itself,  but  really  evil, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  mere  pretence.  Accordingly  the 
caution  now  must  needs  be  much  stronger  :  "  Be  ye  not 
as  the  hypocrites." 

It  is  not,  however,  the  being  seen  which  is  condemned, 
otherwise  the  caution  would  be  at  variance  with  the 
earnest  counsel  in  chap.  v.  1 6,  and  would,  in  fact,  amount 
to  a  total  prohibition  of  public  worship.  As  before, 
it  is  a  matter  of  the  heart.  It  is  the  hidden  motive 
which  is  condemned :  u  Take  heed  that  ye  do  not 
your  righteousness  before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them" 

The  principle  is  applied  in  succession  to  Almsgiving, 
to  Prayer,  to  Fasting. 

Almsgiving  is  no  longer  regarded  as  distinctively  a 
religious  duty.  Nor  can  it  be  put  under  the  head  of 
morality  according  to  the  common  idea  attached  to  that 
word.  It  rather  occupies  a  kind  of  borderland  between 
them,  coming  under  the  head  of  philanthropy.  But 
whence  came  the  spirit  of  philanthropy  ?  Its  founda- 
tion is  in  the  holy  mountains.  Modern  philanthropy 
is  like  a  great  fresh-water  lake,  on  the  shores  of 
which  one  may  wander  with  admiration  and  delight 
for  great  distances  without  discovering  any  connec- 
tion with  the  heaven-piercing  mountains.  But  such 
connection  it  has.  The  explorer  is  sure  to  find  some- 
where an  inlet  showing  whence  its  waters  come,  a 
bright  sparkling  stream  which  has  filled  it  and  keeps 
it  full;  or  springs  below  it,  which,  though  they  may 
flow  far  underground,  bring  the  precious  supplies  from 
the  higher  regions,  perhaps  quite  out  of  sight.  If 
these  connections  with  the  upper  springs  were  to  be 
cut  off,  the  beautiful  lake  would  speedily  dry  up  and 
disappear.     Almsgiving,  therefore,  is  in  its  right  place 


vnvt,  vii.]     THE  GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  %\ 

here :  its  source  is  in  the  higher  regions  of  the  right- 
eousness of  the  kingdom.  And  in  these  early  days  the 
lakes  had  not  been  formed,  for  the  springs  were  only 
beginning  to  flow  from  the  great  Fountain-head. 

The  general  object  our  Lord  has  in  view,  moreover, 
leads  Him  to  treat  the  subject,  not  in  relation  to  those 
who  receive,  but  to  those  who  give.  There  may  be 
good  done  through  the  gifts  of  men  who  have  no  higher 
object  in  view  than  the  sounding  of  their  own  trumpet  ; 
but,  so  far  as  they  themselves  are  concerned,  their 
giving  has  no  value  in  the  sight  of  God.  Everything 
depends  on  the  motive:  hence  the  injunction  of  secrecy. 
There  may  indeed  be  circumstances  which  suggest  or 
even  require  a  certain  measure  of  publicity,  for  the  sake 
of  the  object  or  cause  to  which  gifts  are  devoted  ;  but 
so  far  as  the  giver  is  concerned,  the  more  absolute  the 
secrecy  the  better.  For  though  it  is  possible  to  give  in 
the  most  open  and  public  way  without  at  all  indulging 
the  petty  motive  of  ostentation,  yet  so  weak  is  human 
nature  on  that  side  of  it,  that  our  Lord  puts  His 
caution  in  the  very  strongest  terms,  counselling  us 
not  only  to  avoid  courting  the  attention  of  others, 
but  to  refrain  from  even  thinking  of  what  we  have 
done  ;  for  that  seems  to  be  the  point  of  the  striking 
and  memorable  words  "Let  not  thy  left  hand  know 
what  thy  right  hand  doeth." 

The  trumpet-blowing  may  be  a  great  success.  What 
the  Master  thinks  of  that  success  is  seen  in  the  caustic 
irony  of  the  words  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  have 
their  reward."  There  it  is — and  you  can  see  just  how 
paltry  and  pitiful  it  is ;  for  there  is  nothing  a  man 
is  more  ashamed  of  than  to  be  caught  in  even  the 
slightest  attempt  to  parade  himself.  But  if  the  praise 
of  men  is  never  thought  of,  it  cannot  be   said  "  they 

6 


82  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

have  their  reward."  Their  reward  is  to  come;  and 
though  it  doth  not  yet  appear,  it  will  certainly  be 
worthy  of  our  Father  Who  seeth  in  secret. 

Under  the  head  of  Prayer  two  cautions  are  given. 
The  one  may  be  dismissed  in  a  few  words,  not  only 
because  it  exactly  corresponds  with  the  preceding  case, 
but  because  among  us  there  is  scarcely  any  temptation 
to  that  against  which  it  is  directed.  The  danger  now 
is  all  the  other  way.  The  temptation  for  true  children 
of  the  kingdom  is  not  to  parade  their  devotion  for 
show,  but  to  conceal  it  for  shame.  Still  there  are 
some  directions  in  which  even  yet  the  caution  against 
ostentation  in  prayer  is  needed — as,  for  instance,  by 
those  who  in  public  or  social  prayer  assume  affected 
tones,  or  try  in  any  way  to  give  an  impression  of 
earnestness  beyond  what  is  really  felt.  Of  the  sancti- 
monious tone  we  may  say  that  it  has  its  reward  in  the 
almost  universal  contempt  it  provokes. 

The  other  caution  is  directed,  not  against  pretence, 
but  against  superstition.  It  will  be  seen,  however,  that 
the  two  belong  to  the  same  category,  and  therefore  are 
most  appropriately  dealt  with  together.  What  is  the 
sin  of  the  formalist  ?  It  is  that  his  heart  is  not  in  his 
worship.  What  is  the  folly  of  the  vain  repetitionist  ? 
It  is  the  same — that  his  heart  is  not  in  his  words.  For 
there  is  no  discouragement  of  repetition,  if  it  be 
prompted  by  genuine  earnestness.  Our  Lord  again 
and  again  encouraged  even  importunate  prayer,  and 
Himself  in  the  Garden  offered  the  same  petition  three 
times  in  close  succession.  It  is  not,  then,  repetition, 
but  "vain  repetition," — empty  of  heart,  of  desire,  of 
hope — that  is  here  rebuked ;  not  much  prayer,  but 
"much  speaking,"  the  folly  of  supposing  that  the  mere 
H saying"   of  prayers   is   of  any  use  apart  from  the 


v.,  vi.,  vii.]     THE  GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  83 

emotions  of  the  heart  in  which  true  prayer  essentially 
consists. 

To  guide  us  in  a  matter  so  important,  our  Lord  not 
only  cautions  against  what  prayer  ought  not  to  be,  but 
shows  what  it  ought  to  be.  Thus,  incidentally  as  it 
were,  He  hands  to  us  this  pearl  of  great  price,  this 
purest  crystal  of  devotion,  to  be  a  possession  of  His 
people  for  ever,  never  to  lose  its  lustre  through 
millenniums  of  daily  use,  its  beauty  and  preciousness 
becoming  rather  more  and  more  manifest  to  each 
successive  generation. 

It  is  given  especially  as  a  model  of  form,  to  show 
that,  instead  of  the  vain  repetitions  condemned,  there 
should  be  simplicity,  directness,  brevity,  order — above 
all,  the  plain,  unadorned  expression  of  the  heart's  desire. 
This  main  object  is  accomplished  perfectly ;  a  whole 
volume  on  the  form  of  prayer  could  not  have  done  it 
better,  or  so  well.  But,  besides  this,  there  is  instruc- 
tion as  to  the  substance  of  prayer.  We  are  taught  to 
rise  high  above  all  selfish  considerations  in  our  desires, 
seeking  the  things  of  God  first ;  and  when  we  come  to 
our  own  wants,  asking  nothing  more  than  our  Father 
in  heaven  judges  to  be  sufficient  for  the  day,  while  all 
the  stress  of  earnestness  is  laid  on  deliverance  from 
the  guilt  and  power  of  sin.  Then  as  to  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  mark  the  filial  reverence  implied  in  the  invoca- 
tion,— the  fraternal  spirit  called  for  by  the  very  first 
word  of  it,  and  the  spirit  of  forgiveness  we  are  taught 
to  cherish  by  the  very  terms  in  which  we  ask  it  for 
ourselves.  All  this  and  more  is  superadded  to  the 
lesson  for  the  sake  of  which  the  model  prayer  has 
been  given. 

The  third  application  is  to  Fasting.  In  another 
place  (ix.  14)  will  be  found  the  principle  to  be  followed 


84  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

in  regard  to  times  of  fasting.  Here  it  is  taken  for 
granted  that  there  will  be  such  times,  and  the  principle 
announced  at  the  beginning  of  the  chapter  is  applied 
to  the  exercise.  Let  it  be  done  in  secret,  before  no 
other  eye  than  His  Who  seeth  in  secret ;  thus  only  can 
we  have  the  blessed  recompense  which  comes  to  the 
heart  that  is  truly  humbled  in  the  sight  of  God. 

This  principle  plainly  condemns  that  kind  of  fasting 
which  is  done  only  before  men,  as  when  in  the  name  of 
religion  people  will  abstain  from  certain  kinds  of  food 
and  recreation  on  particular  days  or  at  appointed  times, 
without  any  corresponding  humbling  of  the  heart.  The 
fasting  must  be  before  God,  or  it  is  a  piece  of  acting, 
"as  the  hypocrites,"  who  play  a  part  before  men, 
and  when  they  go  home  put  off  the  mask  and  resume 
their  proper  life.  "  Be  ye  not  as  the  hypocrites ; " 
therefore  see  that  your  fasting  is  before  God ;  and  then, 
if  the  inward  feeling  naturally  leads  to  restriction  of 
the  pleasures  of  the  table  or  of  society,  or  to  any  other 
temporary  self-denial,  let  it  by  all  means  be  followed 
out,  but  so  as  to  attract  just  as  little  attention  as 
possible ;  and  not  only  so,  but  if  any  traces  of  the 
secret  exercise  still  remain  when  the  penitential  hour 
with  God  alone  is  over,  these  are  to  be  carefully 
removed  before  returning  to  the  ordinary  intercourse 
of  life.  Our  "  penitence  and  prayer  "  are  for  ourselves 
only,  and  for  God.     Before  men  our  light  should  shine. 

The  three  illustrations  cover  by  suggestion  the  whole 
ground  ;  for  prayer  may  well  be  understood  in  that 
large  scriptural  sense  in  which  praise  is  included,  and 
fasting  is  suggestive  of  all  mortification  of  the  flesh  and 
humbling  of  the  spirit.  The  first  shows  true  religion 
in  its  outgoing,  the  second  in  its  upgoing,  while  the 


v,,  vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE   KINGDOM.  85 

third  abases  self;  and  all  three  are  mutually  helpful, 
for  the  higher  we  soar  God-ward  in  praise  and  prayer, 
the  lower  shall  we  bend  in  reverent  humility,  and  the 
further  will  our  hearts  go  out  in  world-wide  charity. 

All  depends  on  truth  in  the  inward  parts,  on  the 
secret  life  of  the  soul  with  God.  How  impressively  is 
this  stated  throughout  the  whole  passage  !  Observe 
the  almost  rhythmical  repetitions  :  "  Be  ye  not  as  the 
hypocrites,"  three  times  repeated ;  u  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  they  have  their  reward,"  the  very  words  three 
times  repeated ;  "  Let  thine  alms  be  in  secret"  "  Pray  to 
thy  Father  which  is  in  secret"  " That  thou  appear  not 
unto  men  to  fast,  but  unto  thy  Father  which  is  in 
secret")  and  once  more,  three  times  repeated,  "Thy 
Father  which  seeth  in  secret  Himself  shall  reward 
thee."  No  vain  repetitions  these.  They  press  the 
great  lesson  home  with  a  threefold  force. 

4.  Duty  in  relation  to  the  World  and  the  things  of  it 
(vi.  19— vii.  12). 

From  this  point  onwards  the  plan  of  the  discourse 
is  not  so  apparent,  and  some  have  given  up  the  idea 
of  finding  orderly  sequence  in  it ;  yet  there  seems  to 
be  no  insuperable  difficulty,  when  the  right  point  of 
view  is  taken.  The  perplexity  seems  to  have  arisen 
from  supposing  that  at  this  point  an  entirely  new 
subject  begins,  whereas  all  that  follows  on  to  chapter 
vii.  12,  arranges  itself  easily  under  the  same  general 
head — the  Righteousness  of  the  Kingdom.  According 
to  this  arrangement  of  the  discourse  there  is  an  intro- 
duction of  fourteen  verses  (v.  3-16),  and  a  concluding 
passage  of  almost  exactly  the  same  length  (vii.  13-27); 
while  the  main  discussion  occupies  nearly  three  chap- 
ters, the  subject  throughout  being  the  Righteousness 
of  the  Kingdom,  dealt  with,  first  as  morality  (v.  17-48), 


86  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

second  as  religion  (vi.  1-18),  and  finally  as  spirituality 
(vi.  19— vii.  12),  beginning  and  ending  with  a  general 
reference  to  the  law  and  the  prophets  (v.  17,  vii.  12). 
The  first  of  these  divisions  had  to  do  with  righteous- 
ness as  between  man  and  man;*  the  second  with 
righteousness  before  God  alone  ;  while  the  third,  on 
the  consideration  of  which  we  now  enter,  deals  with 
righteousness  as  between  the  children  of  the  king- 
dom and  the  world  in  the  midst  of  which  it  is  set  up. 
And  just  as  in  the  paragraphs  already  considered  we 
have  been  shown  that  our  Lord  came  not  to  destroy 
but  to  fulfil  the  code  of  ethics,  and  the  rules  for 
Divine  service  in  the  law  and  the  prophets,  so  in 
this  it  will  be  made  equally  apparent  that  He  came 
not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfil  the  principles  involved  in 
the  political  code  by  which  Israel  was  separated  from 
the  nations  of  the  world  to  be  the  Lord's  peculiar 
people. 

The  subject  before  us  now,  therefore,  is  the  rela- 
tions of  the  children  of  the  kingdom  to  the  world  ■ 
and  it  is  dealt  with — 

(1)  As  regards  the  good  things  of  the  world.  From 
the  Beatitudes  we  have  already  learned  that  the 
blessedness  of  the  children  of  the  kingdom  is  to  con- 
sist not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  they  possess, 
but  in  qualities  of  soul,  possessions  in  the  realm 
of  the  unseen.  Yet  the  children  of  the  kingdom 
cannot   do   without   the    good    things   of  this   world ; 


*  It  is  true  that  under  the  head  of  oaths  comes  the  duty  of 
reverence,  which  scarcely  seems  to  fall  under  this  head ;  but  it 
will  be  remembered  that  this  point  comes  in  by  way  of  a  very 
natural  suggestion  in  dealing  with  falsehood  and  the  regulation  of 
conversation,  which  evidently  belongs  to  righteousness  as  between 
man  and  man. 


v.,  vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  87 

what,  then,  has  the  law  of  the  kingdom  to  say  in 
regard  to  their  acquisition  and  use  ?  The  subject  is 
large  and  difficult ;  but  with  amazing  clearness  and 
force,  comprehensiveness  and  simple  practical  utility, 
it  is  set  forth  in  a  single  paragraph,  which  is  also 
characterised  by  a  surpassing  beauty  of  language. 
As  before,  the  straight  and  narrow  path  is  marked 
off  by  cautions  on  the  right  and  on  the  left.  On  the 
one  side  must  be  shunned  the  Scylla  of  greed,  on 
the  other  the  Charybdis  of  care.  The  one  is  the  real 
danger  of  seeking  too  much,  the  other  the  supposed 
danger  of  having  too  little,  of  "the  good  things  of 
life." 

It  is  not,  however,  a  question  of  quantity.  As  before, 
it  is  a  question  of  the  heart.  On  the  one  hand,  it  is 
not  the  danger  of  having  too  much,  but  of  seeking 
too  much ;  on  the  other,  it  is  not  the  danger  of  hav- 
ing too  little,  but  of  fearing  that  there  will  not  be 
enough.  It  is  a  mistake,  therefore,  to  say  that  the 
one  caution  is  for  the  rich  and  the  other  for  the  poor. 
True,  indeed,  the  rich  are  in  greater  danger  of  Scylla 
than  of  Charybdis,  and  the  poor  in  more  peril  from 
the  pool  than  from  the  rock ;  still  a  rich  man  may 
be,  often  is,  a  victim  of  care,  while  a  poor  man  may 
readily  have  his  heart  far  too  much  set  on  the  yearly 
or  weekly  increase  of  his  little  store.  It  seems  better, 
then,  to  make  no  distinction  of  classes,  but  to  look 
at  each  caution  as  needed  by  all. 

(a)  Against  seeking  the  good  things  of  the  world  too 
earnestly  (vv.  19-24).  It  is  important  to  notice  the 
strong  emphasis  on  the  word  "  treasure."  This  is  evident 
not  only  from  the  reduplication  of  it — for  the  literal 
translation  would  be,  "  Treasure  not  for  yourselves 
treasures  upon  the  earth" — but  also  from  the  reason 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 


against  it  assigned  in  ^er.  21  :  "Where  thy  treasure  is, 
there  will  thy  heart  be  also."  It  is  clear,  then,  that  there 
is  no  prohibition  of  wealth,  but  only  of  making  it  "  thy 
treasure."  But  against  this  the  law  of  the  kingdom 
is  in  the  highest  degree  decided  and  uncompromising. 
The  language  is  exceedingly  forcible,  and  the  reasons 
marshalled  are  terribly  strong.  With  all  faithfulness, 
and  with  growing  earnestness,  the  Master  shows  that 
to  disobey  this  law  is  foolish,  pernicious,  fatal.  It  is 
foolish)  for  all  earthly  treasures  are  perishable,  eaten 
by  moth,  consumed  by  rust,  stolen  by  thieves,  while 
the  heavenly  treasures  of  the  spiritually-minded  are 
incorruptible  and  safe  for  evermore.  It  is  not  only 
foolish,  but  most  pernicious, — injurious  to  that  which 
is  most  sensitive  and  most  precious  in  the  life,  that 
which  is  to  the  soul  what  the  eye  is  to  the  body,  the 
darkening  of  which  means  the  darkening  of  the  whole 
body,  not  the  mere  clouding  of  the  vision,  but  the 
condition  suggested  by  the  awful  words  "full  of 
darkness  n  ;  while  the  corresponding  deterioration  in  the 
lower  ranges  of  the  life  is  indicated  by  what  follows : 
"  If  therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how 
great  is  that  darkness  ! "  It  is  not  only  foolish  and 
most  pernicious,  but  fatal,  for  "No  man  can  serve  two 
masters  " ;  so  that  to  set  the  heart  on  the  world  means 
to  give  up  the  kingdom.  It  is  vain  to  try  to  satisfy 
two  claimants  of  the  heart.  One  or  other  must  be 
chosen:  "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon." 

(b)  Against  anxiety  about  the  things  of  the  world. 
The  Revised  Version  has,  by  its  correct  translation, 
now  removed  the  difficulty  which  seemed  to  lie  in 
the  words  "Take  no  thought."  To  modern  ears  these 
words  seemed  to  encourage  thoughtlessness  and  to 
bless  improvidence.     Our  translators  of  the  seventeenth 


v.,  vi.,vii.]     THE  GOSPEL  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  89 

century,  however,  had  no  such  idea.  It  is  the  result 
of  a  change  of  meaning  in  a  current  phrase.  At  the 
time  the  translation  was  made,  "to  take  thought" 
meant  to  be  anxious,  as  will  appear  from  such  a  passage 
as  that  in  the  first  book  of  Samuel  (ix.  5),  where  Saul 
says  to  his  servant,  "  Come  and  let  us  return  ;  lest  my 
father  leave  caring  for  the  asses,  and  take  thought  for 
us,"  evidently  in  the  sense  of  "  be  anxious  about  us."  * 
It  is  then,  manifestly,  not  against  thoughtfulness  and 
providence,  but  against  anxious  care  that  the  caution 
is  directed. 

Although  this  evil  seems  to  lie  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  that  of  avarice,  it  is  really  the  same  both 
in  its  root  and  its  fruit,  for  it  is  due  to  the  estrange- 
ment of  the  heart  from  our  Father  in  heaven,  and 
amounts,  in  so  far  as  it  prevails,  to  enslavement  to  the 
world.  The  covetous  man  is  enslaved  in  one  way,  the 
anxious  man  in  another;  for  does  not  our  common 
language  betray  it  every  time  we  think  or  speak  of 
i{ freedom  from  care"?  We  need  not  wonder,  then, 
that  our  Lord  should  connect  what  He  is  about  to  say 
on  this  evil  so  closely  with  what  He  has  said  on 
the  other,  as  He  does  by  use  of  the  word  therefore : 
H  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Be  not  anxious  for  your 
life." 

But  though,  like  the  other,  it  is  slavery,  the  sin  of  it 
is  not  nearly  so  great,  and  hence  the  difference  of  tone, 
which  cannot  but  be  observed  as  this  new  caution  is 
given.     It  is  no  longer  strong  condemnation,  but  gentle 

*  This  complete  change  of  meaning,  amounting  in  fact  to  the 
destruction  and  almost  to  the  inversion  of  the  sense,  is  one  of  many 
illustrations  of  the  absolute  need  of  revision  from  time  to  time  of 
translations,  not  only  to  make  them  more  correct,  but  even  to  keep 
them  as  correct  as  they  were  at  first 


90  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 


expostulation ;  not  dark  threatening  now,  but  tender 
pleading.  As  before,  reason  after  reason  is  given 
against  yielding  to  the  all  too  natural  weakness  of  the 
human  heart.  We  are  encouraged  to  remember  what 
God  has  given  already  :  the  life,  with  such  amazing 
powers  and  capabilities  ;  the  body,  with  all  its  marvel- 
lous intricacy  and  adaptation  :  and  can  it  be  supposed 
that  He  is  likely  to  withhold  the  food  to  maintain  the 
life,  the  raiment  to  clothe  the  body  ? — to  remember  how 
the  little  birds  of  the  air  and  the  modest  lilies  of  the 
field  are  not  forgotten  :  how  then  can  we  think  that 
our  Father  would  forget  us,  who  are  of  so  much  more 
value  than  they  ? — to  remember  that  the  very  fact  that 
we  know  Him  as  our  Father  should  be  guarantee 
enough,  preventing  us  from  an  anxious  solicitude 
pardonable  in  the  heathen,  who  have  no  such  know- 
ledge of  a  Father  in  heaven  Who  knoweth  what 
His  children  need; — to  remember  also  how  vain  and 
fruitless  is  our  care,  seeing  we  cannot  in  the  very 
smallest  lengthen  the  life  for  which  we  fret,  while  our 
times  are  wholly  in  the  hand  of  Him  Who  gave  it 
at  first  and  daily  satisfies  its  wants.  Such  is  a  bare 
outline  of  the  thought  in  this  passage,  to  attempt  to 
expound  or  illustrate  which  would  be  to  spoil  it. 
The  best  way  to  deal  with  such  a  passage  is  first  to 
study  it  carefully  to  see  that  its  meaning  and  the  point 
of  all  its  parts  is  clearly  apprehended,  and  then  quietty, 
slowly,  lovingly  to  read  it  over  and  let  its  heavenly 
music  enter  into  the  soul.  Then,  when  the  reading  is 
finished  and  the  great  lesson  has  filled  the  heart  with 
trustful  love,  we  may  look  back  upon  it  and  observe 
that  not  only  is  a  great  spiritual  lesson  taught,  but 
incidentally  we  are  encouraged  and  directed  to  interro- 
gate nature  and  learn  what  she  has  to  teach,  to  gaze 


v.,vi.,vii.]     THE  GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  91 

on  her  beauty  and  lovingly  look  at  what  she  has  to 
show.  Thus  we  find,  as  it  were  by  the  way,  in  the 
simple  words  of  our  King,  the  germ  principles  of  science 
and  of  art. 

But  these  are  wa}'side  pearls ;  no  special  attention 
is  called  to  them.  These  glimpses  of  nature  come  so 
naturally  from  the  Lord  of  nature  that  nothing  is  made 
of  them — they  "  flash  along  the  chords  and  go  " ;  and 
we  return  to  the  great  lesson  which,  now  that  the 
cautions  have  been  given,  can  be  put  in  its  positive 
form  :  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His 
righteousness ;  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto 
you  "  (vi.  33.)  Seek  ye  first  His  kingdom,  and  His 
righteousness.  Already,  as  we  have  seen,  this  lesson 
has  been  implied  in  the  Lord's  Prayer ;  but  it  is  well 
that  it  should  be  expressly  set  down — this  will  insure 
that  the  treasure  is  above,  that  the  eye  is  clear,  that 
the  life  is  one  :  "  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added," 
so  that  to-morrow  need  not  trouble  you.  Trouble  there 
must  be  in  the  world,  but  no  one  need  have  more  than 
each  day  brings :  "  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof." 

(2)  As  regards  the  evil  in  the  world.  The  transition 
from  the  good  things  of  the  world  to  the  evil  that  is 
in  it  comes  quite  naturally  from  the  turn  the  Master's 
thought  has  taken  in  the  close  of  the  preceding  para- 
graph. It  is  important  to  observe,  however,  that  the 
whole  subject  of  the  evil  in  the  world  is  not  in  view  at 
this  point.  Has  not  the  evil  in  the  world  in  the  large 
sense  been  in  view  from  the  beginning  throughout ; 
and  has  not  the  great  subject  of  righteousness  had  all 
along  as  its  background  the  dark  subject  of  sin  ?  The 
one  point  here  is  this  :  the  attitude  of  the  children 
of  the  kingdom  to   the  evil  which   they    cannot    but 


92  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

see  in  the  people  of  the  world  by  whom  they  are 
surrounded. 

Here,  as  before,  there  are  two  warnings,  each  against 
a  danger  lying  in  opposite  directions  :  the  one,  the 
danger  of  making  too  much  of  the  evil  we  see,  or 
think  we  see,  in  others ;  the  other,  that  of  making  too 
little  of  it. 

(a)  As  against  making  too  much  of  it — the  danger 
of  censoriousness  (vii.  1-5).  Here,  again,  the  language 
is  very  strong,  and  the  warning  given  is  solemn 
and  earnest — a  sure  sign  that  the  danger  is  real 
and  great.  Again,  too,  considerations  are  urged,  one 
after  another,  why  we  should  beware.  First,  there  is 
so  much  evil  in  ourselves,  that  we  should  be  most 
careful  how  we  condemn  it  in  others,  for  "  with  what 
judgment  ye  judge  ye  shall  be  judged ;  and  with  what 
measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." 
Moreover,  severity  is  a  sign  not  of  purity  but  of  the 
reverse :  "  Why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy 
brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in 
thine  own  eye  ?  "  Our  severity  should  be  applied  to 
ourselves,  our  charity  to  others ;  especially  if  we  would 
have  any  success  in  the  correcting  of  our  neighbour's 
faults  :  "  How  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Let  me  cast 
out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye ;  and  lo,  the  beam  is  in 
thine  own  eye  ?  "  (R.V.)  Otherwise  we  are  hypocrites, 
nnd  we  must  thoroughly  reform  ourselves  before  we  have 
any  idea  even  how  to  begin  to  improve  others  :  "  Thou 
hypocrite,  first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye ; 
and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out 
of  thy  brother's  eye."  Of  what  exceeding  value  is  this 
teaching  just  where  it  stands  !  The  Saviour  has  been 
summoning  His  people  not  only  to  pure  morality  and 
true   godliness,  but  to  lofty  spirituality  of  mind  and 


v.,vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  93 

heart ;  and  knowing  what  was  in  man — knowing  that 
dangers  lurked  on  his  path  at  every  turn,  and  that  even 
the  highest  spirituality  has  its  special  danger,  its  be- 
setting sin — He  points  it  out,  paints  it  in  all  its  black- 
ness, spares  not  the  sin  of  the  saint  any  more  than  the 
sin  of  the  sinner,  calls  the  man  that  gathers  his  skirts 
about  him  with  the  word  or  the  thought  u  I  am  holier 
than  thou"  by  the  same  ugly  name  with  which  He 
brands  the  poor  fools  who  disfigure  their  faces  that 
they  may  be  seen  of  men  to  fast.  Yet,  severe  as  it  is, 
is  it  not  needed  ?  does  not  our  best  judgment  approve 
and  applaud  ?  and  are  we  not  glad  and  grateful  that 
our  Lord  has  warned  us  so  earnestly  and  impressively 
against  a  danger  it  might  never  have  occurred  to  us  to 
fear? 

But  there  is  another  side  to  the  subject ;  so  we  have 
another  warning,  in  relation  to  the  evil  we  see  in  the 
men  of  the  world.     It  is — 

(£)  Against  making  too  little  of  it  (ver.  6).  Though 
we  may  not  judge,  we  must  discriminate.  It  may  be 
wrong  to  condemn ;  but  it  may  be  necessary  to  with- 
draw, otherwise  sacred  things  may  be  profaned  and 
angry  passions  stirred,  and  thus  much  harm  may  be 
done  though  only  good  was  intended.  Such  is  the 
manifest  purport  of  the  striking  caution :  "  Give  not 
that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your 
pearls  before  swine,  lest  they  trample  them  under  their 
feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend  you." 

The  Saviour  is  now  about  to  close  what  He  has  to 
say  on  the  Righteousness  cf  the  Kingdom  in  its  relation 
to  the  Law  and  the  Prophets ;  and  He  does  it  by 
setting  forth  in  most  memorable  words  a  great  privilege 
and  a  compact,  comprehensive,  portable  rule — a  privilege 


94  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

which  will  keep  the  heart  right  with  God,  a  rule  which 
will  keep  the  heart  right  with  man  (vv.  7-12).  The 
former  is  of  course  the  more  important  of  the  two,  so  it 
comes  first  and  has  much  the  larger  space.  It  is  the 
mighty  privilege  of  prayer.  When  we  think  of  the 
height  and  the  depth,  the  length  and  the  breadth,  of 
the  righteousness  of  the  kingdom — when  we  think  of  the 
dangers  which  lurk  on  every  hand  and  at  every  stage  in 
our  life-journey — we  may  well  cry,  u  Who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things  ?  "  To  that  cry  of  the  heart  this  is 
the  answer :  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you."  We 
have  had  prayer  before ;  but  it  was  prayer  as  a  part  of 
righteousness,  prayer  as  a  religious  duty.  Now  it  is 
prayer  as  a  power,  as  the  one  sure  and  only  means  of 
avoiding  the  terrible  evils  on  every  side,  and  obtaining 
the  unspeakable  blessings,  the  "good  things"  (ver.  11) 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  This  being  so,  it  was  of  the 
greatest  importance  that  we  should  have  faith  to  use 
it.  Hence  the  repeated  assurance,  and  the  plain  strong 
language  in  which  it  is  conveyed  ;  hence,  too,  the  simple, 
strong  and  touching  arguments  to  dispel  our  doubts 
and  encourage  our  trust  (vv.  9-1 1). 

Here,  again,  of  what  priceless  value  are  these  few 
words  of  our  blessed  Lord  1  Just  where  they  are 
needed  most  they  come,  bringing  "strength  to  the 
fainting  heart"  in  view  of  the  seemingly  inaccessible 
heights  of  God's  holy  hill,  on  which  the  city  of  His 
kingdom  is  set.  Why  need  we  faint  or  fear,  now  that 
we  can  ask  and  be  sure  of  receiving,  can  seek  and  be 
sure  of  finding,  can  knock  at  door  after  door  of  these 
halls  of  Sion,  and  have  them,  one  after  another,  opened 
at  our  touch  ? 

Again  as  before,  prayer  to  God  is  closely  connected 
with  our  behaviour  to  men.     In  the  model  prayer  we 


r.,  vi.fvii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  95 

were  taught  to  say  "  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we 
forgive  our  debtors " ;  and  not  only  so,  but  a  special 
warning  was  added,  that  if  we  do  not  forgive  others,  we 
cannot  be  forgiven.  So  here  too  we  are  reminded  that 
if  we  are  to  expect  our  Father  to  act  in  a  fatherly  way 
to  us  by  giving  us  good  things,  we  must  act  in  a 
brotherly  way  to  our  neighbours.  Hence  the  golden 
rule  which  follows,  and  hence  its  connection  with  the 
prayer-charter  by  the  word  "  therefore."  And  now 
that  our  relations  to  God  and  man  have  been  summed 
tip  in  the  filial  relation  embodied  in  prayer,  and  in  the 
fraternal  relation  embodied  in  the  golden  rule,  all  is 
complete,  and  the  proof  of  this  is  furnished  in  the 
appropriate  concluding  words :  "  This  is  the  Law  and 
the  Prophets." 

III.  Invitation  to  enter  the  Kingdom  (vii.  13-29). 

The  Master  has  now  said  everything  necessary  in 
order  to  clear  away  popular  misapprehensions,  and 
place  the  truth  about  His  kingdom  fairly  before  the 
minds  of  His  hearers.  He  has  explained  its  nature 
as  inward  and  spiritual,  setting  forth  the  character  of 
those  who  belong  to  it,  the  blessedness  they  will  enjoy, 
and  the  influence  they  will  exert  on  the  world  around 
them.  He  has  set  forth  clearly  and  fully  the  obliga- 
tions that  will  rest  upon  them,  as  summed  up  in  the 
comprehensive  requirement  of  righteousness  under- 
stood in  a  larger  and  deeper  sense  than  ever  before 
— obligations  of  such  stringency  as  to  make  it  apparent 
that  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness 
is  no  holiday  undertaking,  that  it  is  no  easy  thing  to 
be  a  Christian,  but  that  it  requires  self-restraint,  self- 
humbling,  self-denial ;  and  that  therefore  His  kingdom 
cannot  be  attractive  to  the  many,  but  must  appeal  to 


THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


those  who  are  earnest-spirited  enough  to  ask  and  seek 
and  knock  for  admittance. 

Now  that  all  has  been  fully  and  faithfully  set  forth — 
now  that  there  is  no  danger  of  obtaining  disciples 
under  misapprehension — the  great  invitation  is  issued  : 
Enter  ye  in.  It  is  the  free  universal  invitation  of  the 
Gospel,  as  large  and  liberal  as  that  later  one,  "  Who- 
soever will,  let  him  come,"  though  given  in  such  a 
way  as  to  keep  still  prominently  before  the  minds  of 
all  comers  what  they  may  expect,  and  what  is  expected 
of  them :  u  Enter  ye  in  by  the  narrow  gate :  for  wide 
is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to 
destruction,  and  many  be  they  that  enter  in  thereby. 
For  narrow  is  the  gate,  and  straitened  the  way,  that 
leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  be  they  that  find  it "  (R. V.). 

The  terms  of  this  first  invitation  are  very  significant. 
The  motives  of  fear  and  hope  are  appealed  to ;  but 
not  directly  or  specially.  In  the  background  lies,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  dark  doom  of  "  destruction,"  and  on 
the  other  the  glorious  hope  of  "  life  "  ;  but  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other  is  made  emphatic.  The  demand 
for  "  righteousness "  has  been  elaborated  in  full,  and 
warnings  against  sin  have  been  multiplied  and  pressed 
with  intensest  earnestness ;  but  Christ  does  not  now, 
as  on  account  of  the  hardness  of  men's  hearts  He  felt 
it  needful  later  on  to  do,  set  forth  in  language  that 
appeals  vividly  to  the  imagination  the  fate  of  those 
who  take  the  broad  way  of  easy  self-indulgence ;  nor 
does  He  endeavour  to  picture  the  things  which  eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  heart  conceived, 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him  ; 
He  simply  suggests  in  the  briefest  manner,  by  the  use 
of  a  single  word  in  each  case — and  that  word  charac- 
terised not  so  much  by  strength  as  by  suggestiveness 


v.,vi.,vii.]      THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  97 

what  will  be  the  fate  of  the  one,  the  goal  of  the 
other.  Suggestive  as  both  words  are  in  the  highest 
degree,  they  are  not  emphatic,  but  lie  as  it  were  in 
the  background,  while  the  attention  is  kept  on  the 
present  alternative :  on  the  one  hand  the  wide  gate, 
the  broad  way,  the  many  thronging  it ;  on  the  other, 
the  narrow  gate,  the  straitened  way,  the  few  finding 
it.  Our  Lord  summons  not  so  much  to  a  choice  that 
will  pay,  as  to  a  choice  that  will  cost ;  and  in  so  doing 
makes  His  appeal  to  all  that  is  noblest  and  highest 
and  best  in  human  nature. 

Throughout  the  whole  discourse  He  has  been  lead- 
ing up  to  this  point.  He  has  been  setting  forth  no 
prospect  of  happiness  "to  draw  the  carnal  eye,"  but 
an  ideal  of  blessedness  to  win  the  spiritual  heart.  He 
has  been  unfolding  a  righteousness,  which,  while  it 
cannot  but  be  repulsive  to  man's  natural  selfishness, 
profoundly  stirs  and  satisfies  his  conscience ;  and  now, 
in  strict  keeping  with  all  that  has  gone  before,  the 
appeal  is  made  in  such  a  way  as  shall  commend  it, 
not  to  the  thoughtless,  selfish  crowd,  but  to  those 
whose  hearts  have  been  drawn  and  whose  consciences 
have  been  touched  by  His  presentation  of  the  blessed- 
ness they  may  expect  and  the  righteousness  expected 
of  them.  From  all  this  there  is  surely  to  be  learned 
a  most  important  lesson,  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
Gospel  should  usually  be  presented — not  by  sensational 
descriptions  of  the  glories  of  heaven  or  the  horrors 
of  hell,  nor  by  the  mere  reiteration  of  exhortations 
to  "come  to  Jesus,"  but  by  such  information  of  the 
mind,  awakening  of  the  heart,  and  stirring  of  the  con- 
science as  are  found  in  perfection  in  this  great  discourse 
of  the  Master. 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  large  view  our  Lord  takes 

7 


98  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

of  human  life  that  He  speaks  of  only  two  paths.  There 
seem  so  many,  leading  off  in  all  different  directions  ; 
and  so  there  are  on  a  limited  view  of  life's  horizon  ; 
but  when  eternal  issues  are  in  sight,  there  are  but 
two :  the  easy  path  of  self-indulgence  leading  down  to 
death,  and  the  difficult  path  of  duty  *  leading  up  to  life. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  there  is  not  a  trace  of 
asceticism  in  our  Lord's  representation.  The  strait- 
ness  referred  to  is  not  outward,  any  more  than  the 
righteousness  is ;  so  that  there  is  no  encouragement 
given  to  self-imposed  restrictions  and  limitations,  as  in 
the  monastic  vows  of  "  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedi- 
ence." The  way  is  strait  enough  in  itself  without 
any  effort  of  ours  to  make  it  straiter.  It  is  enough 
that  we  set  ourselves  to  keep  all  the  commandments ; 
so  shall  we  have  a  sufficiency  of  exercise  to  toughen 
our  spiritual  fibre,  to  strengthen  our  moral  energies,  to 
make  us  men  and  women  instead  of  slaves  of  lust  or 
tools  of  mammon.  For,  be  it  ever  remembered,  the  way 
we  take  leads  on  naturally  and  unavoidably  to  its  end. 
Destruction  is  no  arbitrary  punishment  for  self-indul- 
gence ;  nor  is  life  an  arbitrary  reward  for  self-discipline 
and  surrender  to  the  will  of  God.  The  path  of  self- 
indulgence  "leadeth  to  destruction,"  by  a  law  which 
cannot  be  annulled  or  set  aside.  But  the  path  of 
self-restraint  and  self-surrender  (for  these  are  what 
make  of  us  men,  and  not  "  blind  mouths,"  as  Milton 
expressively  puts  it),  the  path  which  is  entered  by  the 
strait  gate,  and  is  continued  along  the  narrow  way, 
is  one  which  in  the  course  of  natural  development 
"  leadeth  unto  life." 


*  Duty  of  course  in  its  largest  sense — to  God  and  man  and  self- 
including  all  "righteousness  "  in  the  Master's  sense  of  the  word. 


v.,  vi.,  vii.]     THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  99 

The  call  to  enter  is  followed  by  words  of.  solemn 
warning  against  certain  dangers  which  might  beset 
even  those  who  wish  to  enter.  First,  the  danger  of 
false  guidance  :  "  Beware  of  false  prophets."  The 
danger  lies  in  the  future.  Hitherto,  while  speaking 
throughout  of  present  duty,  there  have  been  backward 
glances  over  the  past,  as  our  Lord  has  made  it  evident, 
point  after  point,  that  the  righteousness  of  His  kingdom 
was  not  the  destruction  but  the  fulfilment  of  the  law  and 
the  prophets.  Now,  however,  He  anticipates  the  time 
when  there  will  be  those  claiming  to  speak  in  the  name 
of  God,  or  in  His  own  name,  whose  doctrines  will  not 
be  a  fulfilment  but  a  destruction  of  the  Truth,  and  a 
constant  danger  to  those  who  may  be  exposed  to  their 
wolf-like  ravages.  There  is  manifestly  no  reference 
to  such  differences  of  opinion  as  divide  real  Christians 
from  each  other  in  these  days.  The  doctrine  through- 
out this  manifesto  is  not  speculative,  but  practical ;  it 
nowhere  brings  into  prominence  matters  of  opinion,  or 
what  are  called  theological  tenets,  but  everywhere  lays 
stress  on  that  which  immediately  and  powerfully  affects 
the  life.  So  it  is  here  also,  as  is  evident  from  the 
criterion  suggested  for  the  detection  of  false  teachers  : 
"  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  Besides,  the 
connection  in  which  the  caution  occurs  makes  it  evident 
that  our  Lord  had  specially  in  view  those  teachers  who 
would  lead  their  disciples  astray  as  to  the  way  of  life, 
especially  those  who  would  dare  to  make  that  easy 
which  he  had  shown  to  be  "  strait,"  who  would  set 
before  their  hearers  or  readers  a  broad  path  instead  of 
the  narrow  one  which  alone  leadeth  unto  life.  This  is 
a  danger  which  besets  us  in  these  days.  There  is  so 
strong  a  sentiment  abroad  in  favour  of  liberality — and 
liberality  properly  so  called  is  so  admirable,  and  has 


ioo  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.    MATTHEW. 

been  so  much  a  stranger  in  times  past — that  we  are  in 
danger  of  accepting  in  its  name  easy-going  representa- 
tions of  the  Christian  life  which  amount  to  a  total 
abolition  of  the  strait  gate  and  the  narrow  way.  Let 
us  by  all  means  be  liberal  enough  to  acknowledge  all 
who  have  entered  by  the  strait  gate  of  genuine  repent- 
ance, and  are  walking  in  the  narrow  way  of  faith  and 
obedience,  however  much  they  may  differ  from  us  in 
matters  of  opinion,  forms  of  worship,  or  modes  of  work ; 
but  let  us  beware  how  we  give  even  the  smallest 
encouragement  to  any  on  the  broad  road  to  imagine 
that  they  can  continue  as  they  are,  and  find  it  all  right 
in  the  end.  So  to  tamper  with  truth  in  the  guise  of 
liberality  is  to  play  the  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing. 

The  test  our  Lord  gives  for  "discerning  the  spirits" 
is  one  which  requires  time  for  its  application,  but  it  is 
the  only  sure  one  ;  and  when  we  remember  that  the 
Master  is  now  looking  forward  into  the  future  history 
of  His  kingdom,  we  can  see  why  He  should  lay  stress 
on  a  test  whose  operation,  though  slow,  was  sure. 
It  is  of  course  assumed  that  the  first  criterion  is  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  Himself.  This  is  the  law  of  the 
kingdom;  but,  knowing  well  what  was  in  man,  the 
Lord  could  not  but  foresee  that  there  would  be 
those  who  could  so  twist  any  words  that  might  be 
spoken  on  those  great  subjects  as  to  lay  snares  for  the 
unwary ;  and  therefore,  besides  the  obvious  appeal  "  to 
the  law  and  to  the  testimony,"  He  supplied  a  practical 
test  which,  though  less  speedy  in  its  application,  was 
perfectly  sure  in  its  results. 

The  announcement  of  so  important  a  test  leads  to 
the  development  of  the  general  principle  on  which  its 
validity  depends — viz.,  the  vital  connection  between 
essential  doctrine  and  life.     In  the  long  run  the  one  is 


v.,vi.,vii.]      THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  101 

always  the  outcome  of  the  other.  In  the  spiritual  as 
in  the  natural  world  every  species  brings  forth  fruit 
"  after  its  kind."  "  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns, 
or  figs  of  thistles  ?  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth 
forth  good  fruit;  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth 
evil  fruit.  A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit, 
neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit."  The 
law  being  so  absolute,  making  it  certain,  on  the  one 
hand,  that  where  there  is  truth  in  the  inward  parts 
there  will  be  good  fruit  in  the  outward  life,  and  on  the 
other,  that  where  there  is  corrupt  fruit  in  the  outward 
life  there  must  be  that  which  is  corrupt  in  the  hidden 
man  of  the  heart,  it  follows  that  the  criterion  is  so  sure 
as  to  be  without  appeal :  "  Every  tree  that  bringeth  not 
forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire  " 
(ver.  19),  and  therefore  may  well  determine  the  question 
as  to  who  are  trustworthy  teachers  in  the  Church : 
11  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

In  the  development  of  the  principle  the  Master's 
thought  has  been  enlarged  so  as  to  include  not  teachers 
only,  but  all  His  disciples ;  and  His  range  of  view  has 
been  extended  so  as  to  embrace  the  last  things.  The 
great  day  of  Judgment  is  before  him.  He  sees  the 
multitudes  gathered  around  the  throne.  He  foresees 
that  there  will  be  many  on  that  great  day  who  will 
discover,  when  it  is  too  late,  that  they  have  allowed 
themselves  to  be  deceived,  that  they  have  not  been 
careful  enough  to  test  their  spiritual  guides,  that  they 
have  not  been  careful  enough  to  try  themselves  and 
make  sure  that  their  fruits  were  such  that  the  Lord 
of  the  vineyard  could  recognise  them  as  His  own.  He 
is  filled  with  sympathy  and  sorrow  at  the  prospect ; 
so  He  lifts  up  His  voice  in  earnest  warning,  that,  if 
possible,  none  of  those  to  whom  the  words  will  ever 


ioa  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

come  may  allow  themselves  to  fall  into  so  fatal  an 
error :  "  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

How  naturally,  and  as  it  were  unconsciously  and 
inevitably,  He  has  passed  from  the  Teacher  to  the 
Judge !  Not  as  a  personal  claim.  In  His  earliest 
teaching  He  kept  personal  claims  as  much  in  the  back- 
ground as  possible.  But  now  it  is  impossible  to  avoid 
some  disclosure  of  His  divine  authority.  He  must 
speak  of  the  Judgment;  and  He  cannot  speak  of  it 
without  making  it  appear  that  He  is  Judge.  The  force 
of  this  is  all  the  greater  that  He  is,  as  it  were, 
surprised  into  it ;  for  He  is  evidently  not  thinking  of 
Himself  at  all,  but  only  of  those  who  then  were  or 
would  afterwards  be  in  danger  of  making  a  most  fatal 
mistake,  leading  to  consequences  awful  and  irreparable. 
We  can  well  imagine  that  from  this  point  on  to  the 
end  there  must  have  been  a  light  on  His  face,  a  fire 
in  His  eye,  a  solemnity  in  His  tone,  a  grandeur  in 
His  very  attitude,  which  struck  the  multitude  with 
amazement,  especially  at  the  authority  (ver.  29)  with 
which  He  spoke  :  "  Many  will  say  to  Me  in  that  day, 
Lord,  Lord,  did  we  not  prophesy  by  Thy  name,  and 
by  Thy  name  cast  out  devils,  and  by  Thy  name  do 
many  mighty  works  ?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto 
them,  I  never  knew  you  :  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work 
iniquity  "  (R.  V.). 

Again,  observe  the  form  the  warning  takes,  revealing 
the  consciousness  that  to  depart  from  Him  was  doom — 
one  of  the  many  tokens  throughout  this  discourse  that 
none  else  than  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory  could  possibly 
have  spoken  it.  Yet  how  many  vainly  think  that  the} 
can  accept  it  without  acknowledging  Him ! 


v.,vi.,vii.]      THE   GOSPEL   OF  THE  KINGDOM.  103 

The  same  solemn  and  regal  tone  is  kept  up  through- 
out the  impressive  passage  which  closes  all,  and  presses 
home  the  great  warning  against  trusting  to  any  experi- 
ence short  of  the  surrender  of  the  life  to  do  the  will  of 
God  as  set  forth  in  the  words  of  Christ  His  Son.  The 
two  classes  He  has  now  in  view  are  not  the  two  great 
classes  who  walk,  the  one  in  the  broad  and  the  other 
in  the  narrow  way.  They  are  two  classes  of  hearers. 
Most  of  those  that  throng  the  broad  way  are  not  hearers 
at  all ;  they  have  no  desire  or  intention  of  seeking  any 
other  than  the  broad  way — they  would  as  little  think 
of  going  up  into  a  mountain  and  listening  to  a  discourse 
on  righteousness,  as  they  would  of  wearing  a  hair  shirt 
or  doing  any  other  kind  of  penance;  but  those  our 
Lord  has  now  in  view  all  have  the  idea  of  seeking  the 
right  way :  their  very  attitude  as  hearers  shows  it — 
they  are  all  of  the  church-going  class,  to  translate  into 
modern  phrase ;  and  what  He  fears  is  that  some  of  them 
may  deceive  themselves  by  imagining  that  because  they 
hear  with  interest  and  attention,  perhaps  admiration, 
therefore  they  are  in  the  narrow  way.  Accordingly 
He  solemnly  warns  them  that  all  this  may  amount  to 
nothing  :  there  may  be  attention,  interest,  admiration, 
full  assent  to  all ;  but  if  the  hearing  is  not  followed  by 
doing,  all  is  in  vain. 

It  may  almost  go  without  saying  that,  after  what  our 
Lord  has  just  been  teaching  as  to  the  vital  connection 
between  the  faith  of  the  heart  and  the  "  fruits  "  of  the 
life  (vv.  15-23),  there  is  no  "legalism"  here.  In 
fact,  the  doing  is  not  outward;  it  is  a  doing  of  the 
heart.  The  righteousness  He  has  been  expounding 
has,  as  we  have  seen,  been  a  righteousness  of  the 
heart,  and  the  doing  of  it,  as  a  matter  of  course,  is 
a  heart-work,   having  its  root  in  faith,  which  is  the 


104  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

beginning  of  the  doing  in  every  case,  according  to 
His  own  word  in  another  place :  u  This  is  the  work  of 
God,  that  ye  believe  on  Him  Whom  He  hath  sent." 

The  illustration  with  which  He  presses  home  the 
warning  is  in  the  highest  degree  appropriate  and 
forcible.  The  man  who  not  only  hears,  but  does, 
makes  thorough  work,  digs  deep  (as  St.  Luke  puts  it 
in  his  record),  and  founds  the  house  he  is  building  for 
time  and  eternity  upon  solid  rock ;  while  the  man  who 
hears  but  does  not,  is  one  who  takes  no  care  as  to  his 
foundation,  but  erects  his  house  just  where  he  happens 
to  be,  on  loose  sand  or  earth,  which  the  first  storm  will 
dislodge  and  sweep  away.  Meanwhile  testing  times 
are  coming — rains,  floods,  winds — the  searching  trials 
of  life  culminating  in  the  final  judgment  in  the  life  to 
come.  These  all  test  the  work  of  the  builder,  and 
render  apparent  the  wisdom  of  the  man  who  provided 
against  the  coming  storm  by  choosing  the  rock  founda- 
tion, for  his  house  abides  through  all ;  and  the  folly 
of  the  other,  who  without  a  foundation  carelessly  risked 
all,  for  his  house  gives  way  before  the  storm,  and  great 
is  the  fall  of  it. 

Alas  for  many  hearers  of  the  Word !  Alas  for 
many  admirers  of  the  "  Sermon  on  the  Mount "  1  Where 
will  they  be  when  everything  turns  on  the  question 
"Wert  thou  a  doer  of  it?" 


VIII. 

THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 
Matt.  viii. — ix.  35. 

REFERRING  to  chapter  iv.  23,  we  find  the 
work  of  Christ  at  the  beginning  of  His  ministry 
summarised  as  teaching  and  preaching  and  healing  all 
manner  of  diseases.  Of  the  teaching  and  preaching 
we  have  had  a  signal  illustration  in  what  is  called  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  now  the  other  great  branch  of 
the  work  is  set  before  us  in  a  group  of  miracles,  filling 
up  almost  the  whole  of  the  eighth  and  ninth  chapters. 

The  naturalness  of  the  sequence  will  be  at  once 
apparent.  If  men  had  needed  nothing  more  than 
counsel,  guidance,  rules  of  life,  then  might  the  Gospel 
have  ended  when  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was 
concluded.  There  are  those  who  think  they  need 
nothing  more ;  but  if  they  knew  themselves  they  would 
feel  their  need  not  only  of  the  Teacher's  word,  but 
of  the  Healer's  touch,  and  would  hail  with  gladness 
the  chapters  which  tell  how  the  Saviour  dealt  with 
the  poor  leper,  the  man  with  the  palsy,  the  woman 
with  the  fever,  those  poor  creatures  that  were  vexed 
with  evil  spirits,  that  dead  damsel  in  the  ruler's 
house.  We  may  well  rejoice  that  the  great  Teacher 
came  down  from  the  mountain,  and  made  Himself 
known  on  the  plain  and  among  the  city  crowds  as  the 


106  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

mighty  Healer ;  that  His  stern  demand  for  perfect 
righteousness  was  so  soon  followed  by  that  encourag- 
ing word,  so  full  of  comfort,  for  such  as  we  :  "  I  came 
not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners"  (ix.  13).  The 
healing,  then,  is  quite  as  essential  as  the  teaching. 
The  Sermon  points  out  the  way,  unfolds  the  truth  ;  but 
in  the  touch  and  word  of  the  King  Himself  is  found 
the  life.  The  Christ  of  God  had  come,  not  as  a  mere 
Ambassador  from  the  court  of  heaven  to  demand  sub- 
mission to  its  laws,  but  as  a  mighty  Saviour,  Friend, 
and  Comforter.  Hence  it  was  necessary  that  He  should 
make  full  proof  of  His  mission  in  this  respect  as  well 
as  in  the  other ;  and  accordingly  the  noble  ethics  taught 
on  the  mount  are  followed  by  a  series  of  heavenly 
deeds  of  power  and  loving-kindness  done  in  the  plain. 
The  group  in  chapters  viii.  and  ix.  is  well  fitted 
to  give  a  comprehensive  view  of  Christ's  power  and 
willingness  to  save.  If  only  they  were  looked  at  in 
this  intelligent  way,  how  the  paltry  prejudices  against 
"  miracles  "  (a  word,  let  it  be  observed,  not  once  to  be 
found  in  this  Gospel)  would  vanish.  Miracles,  wonders, 
prodigies — how  incredible  in  an  age  of  enlighten- 
ment !  Yes ;  if  they  were  introduced  as  miracles, 
wonders,  prodigies ;  but  they  are  not.  They  are  signs 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven — just  such  signs  of  it  as 
the  intelligent  reason  demands  ;  for  how  otherwise  is 
it  possible  for  One  Who  comes  to  save  to  show  that 
He  is  able  to  do  it  ?  How  could  the  people  have  been 
expected  to  welcome  Him  as  a  Saviour,  unless  He  had 
taken  some  means  to  make  it  evident  that  He  had  the 
power  as  well  as  the  will  to  save  ?  Accordingly,  in 
consonance  with  what  enlightened  reason  imperatively 
demands  of  such  an  One  as  He  claims  to  be,  we  have 
a  series  of  "  mighty  deeds  "  of  love,  showing  forth,  not 


viiL-ix.  35-]     THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  107 

only  His  grace,  but  His  power — power  to  heal  the 
diseases  of  the  body,  power  over  the  realm  of  nature, 
power  over  the  unseen  world  of  spirit,  power  to  forgive 
and  save  from  sin,  power  to  restore  lost  faculties  and 
conquer  death  itself.  Such  are  the  appropriate  signs 
of  the  kingdom  spread  before  us  here. 

Let  us  look  first  at  that  which  occupies  the  foremost 
place, — power  to  heal  disease.  The  diseases  of  the 
body  are  the  outward  symptoms  of  the  deep-seated 
malady  of  the  spirit ;  hence  it  is  fitting  that  He  should 
begin  by  showing  in  this  region  His  will  and  power  to 
save.  Yet  it  is  not  a  formal  showing  of  it.  It  is  no 
mere  demonstration.  He  does  not  seek  out  the  leper, 
set  him  up  before  them,  and  say,  "  Now  you  will  see 
what  I  can  do."  All  comes  about  in  a  most  simple 
and  natural  way,  as  became  Him  Who  was  no  wonder- 
worker, no  worker  of  miracles  in  the  vulgar  use  of  that 
word,  but  a  mighty  Saviour  from  heaven  with  a  heart 
of  love  and  a  hand  of  power. 

The  Leper  (viii.   1-4). 

11  And  when  He  was  come  down  from  the  mountain, 
great  multitudes  followed  Him.  And  behold,  there 
came  to  Him  a  leper."  What  will  He  do  with  him  ? 
Should  He  say  to  him,  "  Poor  man,  you  are  too  late — 
the  sermon  is  done "  ?  or  should  He  give  him  some 
of  the  best  bits  over  again  ?  No,  there  is  not  a  sentence 
in  the  whole  of  it  that  would  be  any  answer  to  that 
cry,  "  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt,  Thou  canst  make  me  clean." 
What  does  He  do,  then?  " Jesus  put  forth  His  hand, 
and  touched  him,  saying,  I  will :  be  thou  clean.  And 
immediately  his  leprosy  was  cleansed." 

Is  it,  then,  a  great  stumbling-block  in  your  way,  O 
nineteenth-century   critic,    that  you   are   expected    to 


108  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

believe  that  the  Lord  Jesus  actually  did  heal  this 
leper?  Would  it  take  the  stumbling-block  away  to 
have  it  altered  ?  Suppose  we  try  it,  amended  to  suit 
the  "  anti-supernaturalism  "  of  the  age.  "  And  behold, 
there  came  a  leper  to  Him,  saying,  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt, 
Thou  canst  make  me  clean.  And  Jesus  put  out  His 
hand,  and  motioned  him  away,  saying,  Poor  man,  you 
are  quite  mistaken,  I  cannot  help  you.  I  came  to 
teach  wise  people,  not  to  help  poor  wretches  like  you. 
There  are  great  laws  of  health  and  disease ;  I  advise 
you  to  find  them  out,  and  obey  them  :  consult  your 
doctor,  and  do  the  best  you  can.  Farewell."  Oh,  what 
nonsense  many  wise  people  talk  about  the  difficulty 
of  believing  in  Divine  power  to  heal  1  The  fact  is, 
that  if  Christ  had  not  proved  Himself  a  healer,  men 
could  not  have  believed  in  Him  at  all. 

There  could  have  been  no  better  introduction  to  the 
saving  work  of  the  Christ  of  God.  Leprosy  was  of 
all  diseases  the  most  striking  symbol  of  sin.  This  is 
so  familiar  a  thought  that  it  need  not  be  set  forth  in 
detail.  One  point,  however,  must  be  mentioned,  as  it 
opens  up  a  vein  of  tender  beauty  in  the  exquisite 
simplicity  of  the  story — the  rigorous  separation  of  the 
leprous  from  the  healthy,  enforced  by  the  ceremonial 
law,  which  made  it  defilement  to  touch  a  leper.  Yet 
"  Jesus  stretched  forth  His  hand,  and  touched  him." 
u  He  was  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from 
sinners ; "  therefore  He  could  mingle  with  them,  con- 
tracting no  stain  Himself,  but  diffusing  health  around 
Him.  He  could  take  no  defilement  from  the  leper's 
touch ;  the  current  was  all  the  other  way :  "  virtue  " 
went  out  of  Him,  and  flowed  in  healing  streams 
through  the  poor  leper's  veins.  O  lovely  symbol  of 
the  Saviour's  relation  to  us  sinners !     He  has  in  His 


viii.-ix.  35.3      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  109 

holy  Incarnation  touched  our  leprous  humanity;  and 
remaining  stainless  Himself,  has  set  flowing  a  fountain 
of  healing  for  all  who  will  open  to  Him  hearts  of  faith 
and  let  Him  touch  them  with  His  pure  heart  of  love. 
Those  were  most  wonderful  words  spoken  on  the 
mount :  they  touch  the  conscience  to  the  quick  and 
fire  the  soul  with  heavenly  aspiration  ;  but  this  touch 
of  the  leper  goes  to  our  hearts,  for  it  proves  to  us 
that,  though  the  time  is  coming  when  He  shall  sit  as 
Judge  and  say  to  all  the  sinful,  "  Depart  from  Me," 
as  yet  He  is  the  loving  Saviour,  saying,  "  Come  unto 
Me,  ye  weary,"  and  touching  the  leprous  into  health. 

That  our  Saviour  was  totally  averse  to  anything 
at  all  sensational,  and  determined  rather  to  repress 
than  encourage  the  mere  thirst  for  marvels,  is  evident 
from  the  directions  given  to  the  leper  to  say  nothing 
about  what  had  happened  to  him,  but  to  take  the 
appointed  method  of  giving  thanks  to  God  for  his 
recovery,  at  the  same  time  registering  the  fact,  so  that 
while  his  cure  should  not  be  used  to  gather  a  crowd, 
it  might  be  on  record  with  the  proper  authorities  as 
a  witness  to  the  truth  of  which  it  was  a  sign. 

The  Centurion's  Servant  (5-13). 

This  case,  while  affording  another  valuable  illustra- 
tion of  the  Master's  willingness  and  power  to  save, 
differs  in  several  important  points  from  the  first,  so 
that  the  lesson  is  widened.  First  and  chiefly,  the 
application  was  from  a  Gentile ;  next,  it  was  not  on 
his  own  behalf  that  the  centurion  made  it,  but  on 
behalf  of  another,  and  that  other  his  servant;  and, 
further,  it  was  a  request  to  heal  a  patient  out  of  sight, 
out  of  knowledge  even,  as  it  would  seem.  Each  of  these 
particulars  might   suggest  a   doubt.     He   has    healed 


no  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

this  Jew;  but  will  He  listen  to  that  Gentile?  He 
has  responded  to  this  man's  own  cry ;  but  will  He 
respond  when  there  is  no  direct  application  from  the 
patient  ?  He  has  cured  this  man  with  a  touch  ;  but 
can  he  cure  a  patient  miles  away  ?  The  Saviour  knew 
well  the  difficulties  which  must  have  lain  in  the  way 
of  this  man's  faith.  He  has  evidence,  moreover,  that 
his  is  genuine  faith,  and  not  the  credulity  of  superstition. 
One  could  readily  imagine  an  ignorant  person  thinking 
that  it  made  no  difference  whether  the  patient  were 
present,  or  a  thousand  miles  away :  what  difference 
does  distance  make  to  the  mere  magician  ?  But  this 
man  is  no  ignorant  believer  in  charms  or  incantations. 
He  is  an  intelligent  man,  and  has  thought  it  all  out.  He 
has  heard  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  knows  that 
this  is  the  King.  Reasoning  from  what  he  knows  of 
the  Roman  kingdom,  how  orders  given  from  a  central 
authority  can  be  despatched  to  the  outskirts,  and  be 
executed  there  with  as  great  certainty  as  if  the  Emperor 
himself  had  gone  to  do  it,  he  concludes  that  the  King 
of  the  spiritual  world  must  in  like  manner  have  means 
of  communication  with  every  part  of  His  dominion; 
and  just  as  it  was  not  necessary,  even  for  a  mere 
centurion,  to  do  personally  everything  he  wanted  done, 
having  it  in  his  power  to  employ  some  servant  to  do 
it,  so  it  was  unreasonable  to  expect  the  King  of  heaven 
Himself  to  come  in  person  and  heal  his  servant :  it 
was  only  necessary,  therefore,  that  He  should  speak 
the  word,  and  by  some  unseen  agency  the  thing  would 
be  done.  At  once  the  Saviour  recognises  the  man's 
thoughtful  intelligence  on  the  subject,  and,  contrasting 
with  it  the  slowness  of  mind  and  heart  of  those  of 
whom  so  much  more  might  have  been  expected,  "  He 
marvelled,  and  said  to  them  that  followed,  Verily  I  say 


viii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  11 1 

unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in 
Israel." 

The  thought  of  this  immediately  suggests  to  Him  the 
multitudes  that  shall  exercise  a  similar  faith  in  ages 
to  come,  and  in  lands  far  off;  and,  as  on  the  mount, 
when  He  looked  forward  to  the  great  future,  His  heart 
yearned  over  the  mere  hearers  of  the  word  shut  out 
at  last ;  so  here  He  yearns  with  a  great  yearning  over 
His  unbelieving  countrymen,  whose  exclusion  at  last 
from  the  heavenly  kingdom  would  be  felt  with  all 
the  sharper  pain  that  such  multitudes  from  far  less 
favoured  lands  were  safe  within — at  home  with  the 
patriarchs  of  the  chosen  nation — while  they,  the  natural 
heirs  of  the  kingdom,  were  exiles  from  it  for  evermore. 
Hence  the  wail  and  warning  which  follow  His  hearty 
appreciation  of  the  centurion's  faith :  "  And  I  say  unto 
you,  that  many  shall  come  from  the  east  and  the  west, 
and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  but  the  sons  of 
the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  forth  into  the  outer  dark- 
ness :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth." 

How  fared  it  with  the  centurion's  appeal  ?  Was  it 
any  hindrance  that  he  was  a  foreigner,  that  he  made 
it  not  for  himself  but  for  a  servant,  and  that  the  patient 
was  so  far  away  ?  None  whatever.  As  he  rightly 
judged,  the  King  of  heaven  had  resources  in  abundance 
to  meet  the  case.  Without  the  least  hesitation,  Jesus 
said  to  the  centurion,  "  Go  thy  way  :  and  as  thou  hast 
believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee.  And  his  servant 
was  healed  in  the  selfsame  hour." 

The  Fever  Patient  (14,  15). 

The  leprosy  and  palsy  were  symbols  of  sin  wholly 
possessing  its  victims  :  the  one  suggestive  of  the  state 


1 12  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

of  those  who  are  positively  defiled  by  sin;  the  other  of 
the  condition  of  those  who,  though  sound  to  all  outward 
appearance,  are  simply  wanting  in  inward  life,  para- 
lysed in  that  part  of  their  being  which  constitutes  life. 
These  two  cases,  then,  were  most  suitable  for  setting 
forth  the  saving  power  of  the  Christ  of  God  as  regards 
the  unconverted,  be  they  Jew  or  Gentile.  This  third  cure 
is  within  the  circle  of  the  disciples.  It  is  a  case  of 
fever  in  the  home  of  Peter.  It  therefore  fitly  suggests 
the  diseases  to  which  those  are  still  liable  who  have 
come  to  Christ  and  been  healed  of  their  leprosy  or 
palsy,  the  chronic  disease  which  defiled  or  paralysed 
them  in  time  past ;  but  who  are  still  liable  to  contagion, 
still  exposed  to  attacks  of  fever,  acute  diseases  which, 
though  temporary,  are  most  dangerous,  and,  just  as 
certainly  as  the  others,  need  the  touch  of  the  Great 
Physician  for  their  healing.  These  fevers  separate  us 
from  Christ  and  unfit  us  for  His  service  ;  but  they  need 
not  continue  to  do  this,  for  if  only  we  allow  Him  to 
enter  the  house  and  touch  us,  the  fever  will  cease  ; 
and,  like  this  patient  in  the  home  of  Peter,  we  may  at 
once  arise  and  minister  unto  Him. 

The  three  specific  cases  which  have  been  so  appro- 
priately selected  and  given  in  detail  are  followed  by  a 
general  enumeration  of  a  number  of  similar  ones  dealt 
with  in  like  manner,  "when  the  even  was  come" — the 
whole  experience  of  that  eventful  day  leading  to  the 
joyful  recognition  of  the  fulfilment  of  a  grand  prophetic 
word  spoken  long  ago  of  the  Messiah  that  was  to  come : 
"  Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses." 

The  quotation  is  most  suggestive.  It  raises  the 
question  of  our  Lord's  personal  relation  to  disease.  We 
nave   seen  reason  to  believe   that   disease   could   no* 


viii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  113 

contaminate  His  holy  flesh  ;  and  certainly  we  never  read 
of  His  suffering  from  any  sickness  of  His  own.  Did 
He  then  know  nothing  personally  of  disease  and  fleshly 
infirmity  ?  If  not,  how  could  He  be  tempted  in  all 
points  like  as  we  are  ?  The  solution  seems  to  lie  in  this 
most  interesting  quotation.  It  is  not  a  literal  citation 
from  the  Septuagint,  but  it  is  a  thoroughly  fair  and  true 
reproduction  of  the  idea  of  the  prophet ;  and  it  clearly 
suggests  to  the  mind  that  the  Christ's  relation  to 
human  sickness  was  of  the  same  kind  as  His  relation 
to  human  sin.  Though  personally  He  had  no  sin,  yet 
11  He  was  made  sin  for  us,"  so  that  He  felt  the  intoler- 
able weight  pressing  Him  down  as  in  the  garden,  and 
the  awful  darkness  wrapping  Him  round  as  on  the 
cross.  In  the  same  way,  even  though  His  flesh  may 
never  actually  have  been  subjected  to  physical  dis- 
ease, He  nevertheless  could  not  remove  diseases  from 
others  without  bearing  them  Himself.  Ah  !  it  cost  Him 
far  more  than  wTe  are  apt  to  think,  to  say,  "  I  will,  be 
thou  clean."  It  was  only  by  the  sacrifice  of  His  life 
that  He  could  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world ;  and  we 
believe  that  it  was  only  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  part  of 
His  life  that  He  could  take  away  the  disease  of  a 
sufferer.  When  He  said,  "Somebody  hath  touched  Me, 
for  virtue  has  gone  out  of  Me,"  we  may  be  sure  it  was 
no  mere  jostling  of  the  crowd ;  it  was  an  outflow  of  His 
life,  a  partial  shedding,  so  to  speak,  of  His  precious 
blood.  Just  as  later,  in  the  words  of  St.  Peter,  "  He 
bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree,"  so  already 
u  Himself  took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our  sicknesses.' 

The  Impulsive  Scribe  (18-20). 

The  two  incidents  which  follow,  though  at  first  sight 
apparently  different  in  character  from  the  great  majority 

8 


U4  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

of  the  group,  are  quite  in  place  among  the  mighty  deeds 
of  the  Master,  manifesting,  as  they  do,  His  penetrating 
insight  into  character.  To  all  appearance  there  could 
have  been  no  better  offer  than  that  of  the  impulsive 
scribe — "  Master,  I  will  follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou 
goest "  ;  and,  had  it  been  made  with  a  full  understanding 
of  all  it  meant,  it  would  beyond  all  question  have  been 
at  once  accepted ;  but  He  Who  "  knew  what  was  in  man  " 
saw  at  once  what  manner  of  man  this  was — how  he 
was  quite  unprepared  for  the  hardships  he  would  have 
to  undergo ;  and  therefore,  while  by  no  means  declining 
the  offer,  He  gives  him  fair  warning  of  what  he  might 
expect,  in  these  memorable  words :  "  The  foxes  have 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ;  but  the  Son 
of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head."  There  is 
infinite  pathos  in  the  words.  Moreover,  the  form  in 
which  the  truth  is  put,  while  fitted  effectually  to  deter 
the  selfish  and  faint-hearted,  would  be  no  discourage- 
ment to  a  truly  devoted  and  courageous  soul,  but 
would  rather  fire  it  with  a  holier  ardour  to  follow  the 
Son  of  man  anywhere,  at  whatever  cost,  rejoicing  to 
be  "counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame"  and  loss  " for  His 
name." 

The  Hesitating  Disciple  (21,  22). 

This  case  is  one  of  the  opposite  description.  Judging 
from  the  way  in  which  the  scribe  had  been  dealt  with, 
it  might  have  been  expected  that  when  this  disciple 
asked  to  be  excused  for  a  time,  in  order  to  discharge  a 
duty  which  seemed  so  urgent,  the  answer  would  have 
been  one  not  only  allowing  but  even  enforcing  the 
delay.  But  no.  Why  the  difference  ?  Again,  because 
the  Master  saw  "  what  was  in  man."  This  was  no  impul- 
sive, impetuous  nature  which  needed  a  word  of  caution 


viii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  115 

but  one  of  those  hesitating  natures  which  need  to  be 
summoned  to  immediate  decision.  It  would  seem  also, 
from  the  peculiar  expression,  "  Leave  the  dead  to  bury 
their  own  dead"  (R.V.),  that  he  belonged  to  an  ungodly 
family,  to  associate  again  with  whom  at  such  a  critical 
time  in  his  history  would  be  most  prejudicial ;  and  it 
must  be  remembered  that  it  would  not  have  been  the 
mere  attending  of  the  funeral ;  there  were  the  laws  of 
uncleanness,  which  would  oblige  him,  if  he  went,  to 
stay  many  days ;  and  meantime  the  golden  opportunity 
might  be  gone. 

Thus  are  we  guarded  against  the  two  opposite  dangers 
—  the  one  besetting  the  eager  and  impulsive,  the  other 
the  halting  and  irresolute.  In  neither  case  are  we  told 
what  the  result  was.  We  may  surmise  that  the  scribe 
disappeared  from  view,  and  that  the  other  joined  the 
party  in  the  boat ;  but  "  something  sealed  the  lips  of 
that  Evangelist " ;  from  which  we  may  perhaps  infer  that 
his  main  object  in  relating  the  two  incidents  was,  not 
to  give  information  of  them,  but  to  show  forth  the  glory 
of  the  Master  as  the  Searcher  of  hearts,  to  signalise  the 
fact  that  He  was  no  less  Master  of  the  minds  than  of 
the  bodies  of  men. 

The  Storm  Stilled  (23-27). 

It  was  not  enough  that  the  Saviour  of  mankind 
should  have  power  to  grapple  with  disease  and  skill  to 
search  the  hearts  of  men:  He  must  be  Master  not 
only  of  life,  but  of  its  environment  too.  That  He  is 
becomes  apparent  before  the  boat  which  carries  the 
little  company  reaches  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  One 
of  those  tempests  which  often  lash  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
into  sudden  fury  has  burst  upon  them,  and  the  little 
boat  is    almost  covered  with  the  waves.      Here  is  a 


U6  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

situation  beyond  the  reach  even  of  the  Great  Physician, 
unless  indeed  He  be  something  more.  He  is  some- 
thing more.  He  is  Lord  of  nature,  Master  of  all  its 
forces ! 

Must  He  not  be  ?  He  has  come  to  reveal  the  unseen 
God  of  nature;  must  He  not  then  make  it  manifest, 
now  that  the  occasion  calls  for  it,  that  winds  and  waves 
are  "  ministers  of  His,  that  do  His  pleasure  "  ?  Again,  it 
is  no  mere  "  miracle,"  no  mere  marvel  which  He  works 
in  the  salvation  of  His  terrified  disciples — it  is  a  sign, 
an  indispensable  sign  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

The  story  is  told  with  exquisite  simplicity,  and  with 
all  the  reality  of  manifest  and  transparent  truthfulness. 
"  He  was  asleep  " — naturally  enough  after  the  fatigues 
of  the  day,  notwithstanding  the  howling  of  the  storm ; 
for  why  should  He  fear  wind  or  wave  ?  Is  there  not  a 
promise  here  for  all  His  followers  when  tempest-tossed  : 
"So  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep  "  ? 

His  disciples  let  Him  sleep  as  long  as  they  dare ; 
but  the  peril  is  too  imminent  now.  So  they  come  to 
Him  and  awake  Him,  saying,  "  Save,  Lord  ;  we  perish  ! " 
Though  no  concern  for  Himself  would  ever  have 
disturbed  His  slumber,  the  first  cry  of  His  disciples 
rouses  Him  at  once  to  action.  The  resources  of  His 
human  nature,  beyond  which  He  never  went  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  His  own  personal  needs,  had  been 
completely  exhausted  ;  but  there  is  no  diminution  of 
His  power  to  save  those  who  call  upon  Him.  Without 
any  trace  remaining  of  weariness  or  weakness,  He 
hastens  to  relieve  them.  First,  *  He  quiets  the  tempest 
in    the  disciples'   hearts,   rebuking  their  unbelief  and 

*  The  order  is  different  in  the  second  and  third  Gospels ;  but  here 
only  is  the  order  of  events  noted  :  u  And  He  saith  unto  them,  Why 
are  ye  fearful,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?     Tlten  He  arose." 


viii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  117 

calming  their  fears ;  then  He  stills  the  storm  without, 
rebuking  the  winds  and  the  sea ;  u  and  there  was  a 
great  calm."  It  reads  like  the  story  of  creation.  No 
wonder  the  astonished  disciples  exclaimed:  "What 
manner  of  man  is  this,  that  even  the  winds  and  the  sea 
obey  Him?" 

Demons  cast  out  (28-34). 

Visible  nature  is  not  man's  sole  environment  There 
is  an  unseen  universe  besides ;  and  He  Who  would 
be  Saviour  of  mankind  must  be  Master  there  as  well. 
That  this  also  is  sure  is  now  proved  beyond  a  doubt. 
For  it  is  important  to  observe  that  this  is  not  an 
ordinary  case  of  healing,  otherwise  its  true  place 
would  have  been  with  the  group  of  bodily  diseases  at 
the  beginning  of  this  series.  When  we  cons'der  its 
salient  features,  we  see  that  it  is  just  in  its  right  place, 
closely  following,  as  it  does,  the  stilling  of  the  storm. 
There  are  storms  in  the  spiritual  world,  more  terrible 
by  far  than  any  in  the  realm  of  nature ;  and  it  is 
necessary  that  these  darker  storms  be  also  subject  to 
the  control  of  the  Saviour  of  mankind.  "The  prince 
of  the  power  of  the  air"  and  all  his  legions  must  be 
subject  to  the  "  Son  of  man."  And  this  subjection, 
rather  than  the  cure  of  the  individual  sufferers,  is  the 
salient  feature  of  the  passage.  It  is  not  the  men,  but 
the  demons  possessing  them,  who  cry  out,  "  What  have 
we  to  do  with  Thee,  Jesus,  Thou  Son  of  God  ?  art  Thou 
come  hither  to  torment  us  before  the  time  ?  "  Well  did 
these  evil  spirits  know  who  He  was  ;  and  well,  also, 
did  they  know  that  He  was  mightier  than  they,  and 
that  the  time  was  coming  when  they  would  be  put 
entirely  under  His  feet :  u  Art  Thou  come  to  torment 
us  before  the  time  ?  * 


n 8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

The  sequel  has  been  the  occasion  of  much  cavil.  It 
has  been  represented  as  entirely  beyond  the  bounds 
of  rational  belief;  but  why?  The  whole  subject  of 
demoniacal  possession  is  a  most  difficult  one ;  but 
many  of  the  calmest  and  deepest  thinkers,  quite  apart 
from  the  testimony  of  the  Gospel,  have  found  them- 
selves unable  to  explain  a  multitude  of  dark  facts  in 
history  and  experience  apart  from  the  reality  of  de- 
moniacal influence.  If  a  spirit  can  exercise  a  malign 
influence  on  a  man,  why  not  on  an  animal?  More- 
over, seeing  that  the  keeping  of  these  swine  was  an 
open  breach  of  the  law,  what  difficulty  is  there  in 
supposing  that  Christ  should  allow  their  destruction, 
especially  when  we  consider  that  this  transference  of 
the  malign  influence  not  only  made  more  apparent  His 
absolute  control  over  the  spirits  of  evil,  but  taught  a 
most  striking  and  instructive  lesson  as  to  their  affini- 
ties ?  For  certain  persons  there  is  no  more  instructive 
and  no  more  needful  passage  in  Scripture  than  this. 
The  difficulty  is,  that  those  who  prefer  to  keep  their 
swine  will  not  welcome  the  mighty  Exorcist,  but,  like 
these  people  of  old,  beseech  Him  to  "depart  out  of 
their  coasts." 

Sins  Forgiven  (ix.  1-13). 

Master  of  disease — Searcher  of  hearts — Master  of 
the  forces  of  nature — Master  of  the  powers  of  the 
Unseen :  is  not  this  enough  ?  Not  yet ;  He  must 
make  it  evident  that  "  the  Son  of  man  hath  power  on 
earth  to  forgive  sins."  To  heal  the  diseases  of  the 
body  was  a  great  and  blessed  thing  to  do,  but  it  was 
not  thorough  work ;  for  what  are  all  these  varied 
diseases — leprosy,  fever,  palsy — but  symptoms  of  one 
great  disorder  which  has  its  roots,  not   in   the  flesh, 


viii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  119 

but  in  the  soul,  a  disease  belonging  to  that  region 
of  the  unseen,  in  which  He  has  now  made  manifest 
His  power — the  dark  disease  of  sin.  The  time  has 
now  come  to  show  that  He  can  deal  effectually  with 
it ;  and  immediately  on  His  return  to  His  own  side 
of  the  lake,  an  opportunity  presents  itself.  "They 
brought  to  Him  a  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  lying  on  a 
bed." 

As  a  case  of  palsy,  it  is  not  new.  The  centurion's 
servant  wTas  a  palsy  case ;  and  though  from  His  treat- 
ment of  it,  as  of  the  leprosy  and  fever,  it  might 
fairly  have  been  inferred  that  He  could  deal  also  with 
that  which  was  deeper,  it  was  not  enough  to  leave  it 
to  inference — it  must  be  made  manifest.  It  may  have 
been  that  the  disease  of  this  man  had  been  in  some 
special  manner  connected  with  previous  sins,  so  that 
his  conscience  may  have  been  the  more  exercised  as  he 
looked  back  over  his  past  life ;  but  whether  this  was 
so  or  not,  it  is  obvious  that  his  conscience  was  at 
work, — that  much  as  his  palsy  may  have  troubled  him, 
his  guilt  troubled  him  much  more.  Why,  otherwise, 
should  the  Saviour  have  addressed  him  as  He  did, 
making  no  reference  to  the  disease,  but  dealing  directly 
with  his  spiritual  condition?  Moreover,  the  special 
affection  shown  in  the  Saviour's  mode  of  address  seems 
to  indicate  His  recognition  of  that  broken  and  contrite 
spirit  with  which  the  Lord  is  well  pleased.  It  would 
scarcely  be  too  strong  to  translate  it  thus :  "  My  dear 
child,  be  of  good  cheer ;  thy  sins  are  forgiven." 

The  Saviour  is  coming  closer  and  closer  to  human 
need,  dealing  more  and  more  thoroughly  with  the 
world's  want  and  woe.  If  we  look  at  it  aright,  we 
cannot  but  recognise  it  as  really  a  greater  thing  to  heal 
the  deep  disease  of  the  soul,  than  to  heal  any  or  all  of 


THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW, 


the  diseases  of  the  body,  greater  even  than  to  still  the 
storm  or  rule  by  superior  power  the  spirits  of  evil. 
For  here  there  is  something  more  needed  than  power 
or  skill,  even  though  both  be  infinite.  We  have  already 
had  a  glimpse  of  the  need  there  was,  even  in  taking 
away  human  sickness,  that  the  Healer  Himself  should 
suffei.  But  deeper  far  is  this  necessity  if  the  disease  of 
the  soul  is  to  be  reached.  It  is  only  the  I  amb  of  God 
that  can  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  These  scribes 
were  right  for  once  when  they  made  more  of  this 
claim  than  of  any  that  had  gone  before,  saying  within 
themselves,  "  This  man  blasphemeth ;"..."  Who  can 
forgive  sins  but  God  only  ?  " 

How  could  He  prove  to  them  His  power  actually  to 
forgive  the  man's  sins  ?  A  demonstration  of  this  is 
quite  impossible;  but  He  will  come  as  near  to  it  as 
may  be.  He  has  already  recognised  the  faith  of  the 
bearers,  and  the  penitence  of  the  man  himself;  just  as 
quickly  He  discerns  the  thoughts  of  the  scribes,  and 
gives  them  proof  that  He  does  so  by  asking  them, 
"  Wherefore  think  ye  evil  in  your  hearts  ? "  Then, 
answering  their  thought  (which  was,  "He  is  only 
saying  it"),  He  replies  in  effect,  "It  is  indeed  as  easy 
to  say  one  thing  as  another,  if  saying  is  all ;  but  that 
you  may  be  sure  that  the  saying  of  it  is  not  all,  I  shall 
not  repeat  what  I  said  before,  the  result  of  which  from 
the  nature  of  the  case  you  cannot  see,  but  something 
else,  the  result  of  which  you  shall  see  presently"; 
whereupon,  turning  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  He  said : 
11  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  unto  thine  house.  And 
he  arose,  and  departed  to  his  house."  With  charac- 
teristic reticence,  the  sacred  historian  says  nothing  of 
the  feelings  of  the  happy  man  as  he  hied  him  home 
with  a  double  blessing  beyond  the  power  of  words  to  tell. 


/iii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  121 

Is  it  possible  to  imagine  any  better  proof  that  could 
have  been  given  of  Christ's  authority  to  forgive  sins  ? 
Let  those  who  have  a  horror  of  anything  extraordinary 
suggest  some  way  in  which  this  assurance  could  have 
been  given  without  any  manifestation  of  superhuman 
power.  If  they  cannot,  why  continue  those  unreason- 
ing objections  to  the  kind  of  proof  He  did  give,  when 
no  other  proof  can  be  even  suggested  that  would  have 
at  all  suited  the  purpose  ? 

The  purpose  was  accomplished,  so  far  at  least  as  the 
people  were  concerned.  Whether  the  scribes  found 
some  way  of  evading  the  conclusion,  the  Evangelist 
does  not  say ;  but  he  does  say  that  "  when  the  multi- 
tudes saw  it,  they  marvelled,"  or,  as  the  probably  more 
correct  version  of  the  Revisers  gives  it,  u  they  were 
afraid."  This  is  true  to  nature,  for  now  they  knew 
that  they  stood  in  the  presence  of  One  Who  could  look 
them  through  and  through,  and  touch  them  in  their 
sorest  spot;  so  it  was  natural  that  their  first  feeling 
should  be  one  of  awe.  Still,  they  could  not  but  be 
thankful  at  the  same  time  that  there  was  forgiveness 
within  their  reach  ;  so  quite  consistently  the  narrative 
proceeds — And  they  "glorified  God,  which  had  given 
such  power  unto  men." 

Now  that  His  power  to  deal  with  sin  is  made  so 
apparent,  it  is  time  to  let  it  be  known  that  all  sinners 
are  welcome.  Hence  most  appropriately  there  follows 
the  call  of  one  from  among  the  most  despised  class  to 
take  a  place  among  His  closest  followers.  We  can 
well  understand  how  the  modest  Matthew,  who  never 
mentions  anything  else  about  himself,  was  glad  to 
signalise  the  grace  of  the  Master  in  seeking  out  the  hated 
and  despised  publican.     Not  only  does  Christ  welcome 


122  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

him,  but  consents  to  sit  at  meat  with  his  former  asso- 
ciates (ver.  io);  and  when  the  self-righteous  Pharisee 
complains,  He  takes  occasion  to  speak  those  memorable 
words,  so  full  of  warning  to  those  who  think  themselves 
righteous,  so  full  of  comfort  to  those  who  know  them- 
selves sinners :  "  They  that  be  whole  need  not  a 
physician,  but  they  that  are  sick.  ...  I  am  not  come 
to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance." 

Death  Vanquished  (14-26). 

The  focal  point  of  the  passage  is  the  chamber  of 
death  in  the  house  of  Jairus.  There  we  learn  that  He 
Who  had  shown  Himself  to  be  Lord  of  nature  and  of 
human  nature,  Master  of  the  spirits  of  evil,  and  Saviour 
from  sin,  is  also  Conqueror  of  Death.  He  needs  no 
preparation  for  the  encounter.  The  summons  comes 
to  Him  in  the  midst  of  a  discourse,  yet  He  asks  not 
a  moment's  delay,  but  sets  out  at  once ;  on  the  other 
hand,  He  is  in  no  haste,  for  He  has  time  to  attend  to 
another  sufferer  by  the  way ;  and  there  is  no  exhaus- 
tion afterwards,  for  He  deals  with  another  case,  and 
still  another,  on  His  way  back. 

The  question  with  which  He  was  engaged  when  the 
summons  came  was  one  raised  by  the  disciples  of  John, 
who,  as  we  learn  from  the  other  accounts,  were  prompted 
by  the  Pharisees  in  the  hope  of  exciting  antagonism 
between  the  followers  of  John  and  of  Jesus.  Perhaps 
also  they  had  the  hope  of  setting  Him  at  variance  with 
Himself,  for  had  He  not  declared  that  one  jot  or  one 
tittle  should  not  pass  from  the  law  till  all  was  fulfilled  ? 
Why,  then,  did  not  His  disciples  fast?  To  this  it 
might  have  been  answered  that  the  frequent  fasts 
observed  by   Pharisees,  and  also  by  the  disciples  of 


viiL-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  123 

John,  were  not  really  appointed  by  the  law,  which  pre- 
scribed only  one  day  of  fasting  in  the  year — the  great 
atonement  day.  But  the  Saviour  gives  an  answer  of 
much  wider  scope  and  farther-reaching  significance. 
There  was  involved,  not  the  question  of  fasting  only, 
but  of  the  entire  ceremonial  law ;  and  He  disposes  of 
it  all  by  a  series  of  characteristic  illustrations,  each  of 
them  as  good  as  a  volume  on  the  subject  could  have 
been. 

The  first  of  these  illustrations  sets  the  true  principle 
of  fasting  in  full,  clear  light  by  a  simple  question — "  Can 
the  children  of  the  bridechamber  mourn,  as  long  as 
the  bridegroom  is  with  them  ?  but  the  days  will  come, 
when  the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them, 
and  then  shall  they  fast."  There  is  here  much  more 
to  think  of  besides  the  answering  of  the  question. 
There  is  a  treasury  of  valuable  suggestion  in  His  calling 
Himself  the  Bridegroom,  thus  applying  to  Himself  the 
rich  imagery  of  the  Old  Testament  on  this  theme  ;  while 
at  the  same  time  He  adopts  the  very  figure  which  John 
himself  had  used  in  order  to  mark  his  relation  to  Jesus 
as  the  Bridegroom's  friend  (cf.  John  iii.  29) ;  and  it 
is  especially  worthy  of  note  how  this  keeps  up  the 
Gospel  idea, — the  great  joy,  as  of  a  marriage,  in  the 
yielding  of  the  heart  to  Christ.  No  less  striking  is  His 
touching  reference  to  the  dark  days  coming,  the  first 
distinct  foreshadowing  of  the  Cross.  It  has  been  well 
said  by  a  German  writer,  "  What  man  has  ever  looked 
so  calmly,  so  lovingly  (lieb/ich),  from  such  a  height 
into  such  an  abyss  ! "  from  the  position  of  the  Bride- 
groom of  humanity  to  that  of  the  outcast  on  the  Cross. 
Ah  !  the  shadow  of  that  Cross  is  never  off  Him,  not  even 
when  He  is  exulting  in  His  bridegroom  joy.  But  these 
are  only  incidental  suggestions ;  the  main  idea  is  the 


124  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 


true  principle  of  fasting,  which,  like  all  the  observances 
of  the  New  Testament,  must  be  the  expression  of  that 
which  is  in  the  heart.  Let  the  heart  only  be  true, 
and  when  the  Bridegroom  of  the  heart  is  present, 
fasting  will  be  entirely  out  of  the  question ;  but  when 
He  is  absent  no  rule  will  be  needed — they  will  fast 
as  the  natural  exp;ession  of  their  sorrow. 

The  two  companion  illustrations  which  follow  set  in 
the  clearest  light  the  large  subject  of  the  relation  of 
the  new  dispensation  to  the  old  in  respect  of  forms. 
As  to  substance,  He  had  already  made  it  plain  that 
the  old  was  not  to  be  destroyed,  nor  even  superseded, 
but  fulfilled,  to  its  last  jot  and  tittle,  as  harvest  fulfils 
seed-time.  But  as  to  form,  the  case  was  entirely 
different.  The  new  life,  while  losing  nothing  which 
was  in  the  old,  was  to  be  larger  and  freer,  and  there- 
fore must  have  new  garments  to  match.  To  try  to 
piece  out  and  patch  the  old  would  be  no  improvement, 
but  much  the  reverse,  for  a  worse  rent  would  be  the 
only  result.  The  second  illustration,  suggested  like 
the  first  by  the  associations  of  the  marriage  feast 
(the  Saviour's  illustrations  are  never  far-fetched — He 
always  finds  exactly  what  He  needs  close  at  hand, 
thus  proving  Himself  Master  of  the  imagination  as 
of  all  else),  is  to  the  same  purpose.  The  new  wine 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  though  it  retains  all  the 
excellence  of  the  old  vintage,  yet  having  fresh  proper- 
ties of  its  own,  must  have  fresh  skins  to  hold  it,  that 
its  natural  expansion  be  not  hindered ;  for  to  attempt 
to  confine  it  in  the  old  vessels  would  be  to  expose 
them  to  destruction  and  to  lose  the  wine. 

What  a  striking  illustration  of  these  suggestive 
words  of  warning  has  been  the  history  of  doctrine  and 
of  form  in  those  churches  which  cling  to  the  worn-out 


viii.-ix.  35]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  125 

ritualism  of  the  Old  Testament !  Old  Testament 
forms  were  good  in  their  time ;  but  they  are  not 
good  to  hold  the  new  wine  of  spiritual  life ;  and  to 
attempt  to  combine  them,  as  modern  ritualists  do,  is  to 
injure  both,  to  do  violence  to  the  forms  by  subjecting 
them  to  a  strain  for  which  they  were  never  intended, 
and  to  lose  the  greater  part  of  the  life  by  trying  to 
put  it  in  moulds  which  were  never  intended  for  it. 
There  is  now  no  longer  the  excuse  which  our  Lord 
was  so  ready  to  make,  at  that  time  of  transition,  for 
those  who  were  slow  to  recognise  the  superiority  of 
the  new — a  point  which  is  brought  out  in  the  pendant 
to  this  illustration  which  the  Evangelist  Luke  records  : 
"No  man  also  having  drunk  old  wine  straightway 
desireth  new  :  for  he  saith,  The  old  is  better ; "  or 
rather,  according  to  the  more  correct  reading,  "the 
old  is  good."  Thus,  while  the  true  principle  was  laid 
down  for  all  time,  excuse  was  made  on  behalf  of  John 
and  his  disciples,  for  clinging  with  a  natural  fondness 
to  that  which  had  done  good  service  in  the  past.  A 
very  needful  lesson  this  for  too  ardent  reformers,  not 
considerate  enough  of  what  is  in  many  respects 
wholesome  and  praiseworthy  conservatism. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  important  teachings 
that  the  message  came  from  the  chamber  of  death, 
to  which  we  must  now  again  direct  our  thoughts  : 
"  While  He  spake  these  things  unto  them,  behold, 
there  came  a  ruler,  and  worshipped  Him,  saying,  My 
daughter  is  even  now  dead :  but  come  and  lay  Thy 
hand  upon  her,  and  she  shall  live.  And  Jesus  arose, 
and  followed  him,  and  so  did  His  disciples."  This 
promptness  is  a  most  precious  revelation  of  the  Divine 
readiness  to  help  at  any  moment.     No  need  of  waiting 


126  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

for  a  convenient  time.  Any  moment  is  convenient  for 
Him,  to  Whom  the  affairs  even  of  the  infinite  universe 
are  no  burden. 

The  same  lesson  is  still  more  strikingly  taught  by 
His  manner  of  dealing  with  the  case  which  met  Him 
on  the  way  to  the  ruler's  house.  So  hastily  had  He 
set  out,  in  response  to  the  ruler's  appeal,  that  one 
would  have  thought  this  of  all  times  the  most  incon- 
venient— especially  for  a  chronic  invalid — to  gain  a 
hearing.  Here  is  a  woman  who  has  had  a  disease 
for  twelve  years,  and  who  therefore  might  surely  be 
asked  to  wait  a  few  hours  at  least,  till  the  Physician 
should  be  at  leisure !  And  the  case  is  not  at  all 
forced  on  His  attention ;  she  does  not  stand  in  front 
of  Him,  so  that  He  cannot  pass  without  noticing  her, 
— she  only  "  came  behind  Him"  ;  nor  does  she  take  any 
means  that  seem  likely  to  arrest  His  attention, — she 
only  u  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment."  But  it  is 
enough.  Slight  as  the  indication  is  that  some  one 
needs  His  help,  He  at  once  observes  it ;  nor  does  He 
exhibit  the  least  sign  of  impatience  or  of  haste ;  He 
turns  round,  and  speaks  in  the  kindest  manner,  assur- 
ing her,  as  it  were,  of  her  right  to  enjoy  the  great 
blessing  of  health,  which  had  just  come  to  her,  for 
as  soon  as  she  had  touched  Him  He  had  cured  her 
of  her  long  and  weary  ailment.  What  encouragement 
to  the  most  timid  soul !  and  what  a  revelation  of  the 
large  sympathy  and  ever-ready  helpfulness  of  our 
Saviour  Christ,  and  of  our  heavenly  Father  Whom 
He  so  gloriously  reveals  ! 

The  scene  is  now  changed  to  the  chamber  of  death. 
There  are  most  interesting  details  given  in  the  fuller 
account  by  the  Evangelist  Mark,  but  our  scope  is  large 
enough  here  without  endeavouring  to  bring  them  all 


viii.-ix.  35.]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  127 

in.  The  maid  had  been  at  the  point  of  death  when 
the  father  left  the  house ;  now  it  is  all  over,  and  the 
room  is  full  of  noisy  mourners.  These  clamorous 
demonstrations  were  evidently  very  painful  to  the 
sensitive  heart  of  Christ,  not  only,  perhaps,  on  account 
of  their  unreality,  but  also  because  of  their  inappro- 
priateness  in  view  of  the  better  hope  which  He  was 
bringing  into  light.  For  we  take  it  that  in  these 
words  "  Give  place :  for  the  maid  is  not  dead,  but 
sleepeth,"  there  was  not  only  a  reference  to  His 
intention  at  once  to  bring  the  dead  one  back  to  life, 
but  to  the  true  nature  of  death  in  His  kingdom.  In  it 
death  was  to  be  death  no  longer — only  a  sleep,  with  the 
prospect  of  a  speedy  and  blessed  awaking.  Therefore 
such  heathenish  lamentations  were  to  be  henceforward 
out  of  place.  Perhaps,  too,  He  wished  to  set  these 
people  thinking  on  the  great  subject  of  death — what 
it  is,  what  it  means,  and  whether  after  all  it  need  be 
death  in  the  sense  in  which  alone  the  noisy  mourners 
thought  of  it.  But  M  they  laughed  Him  to  scorn,"  so 
they  must  be  "  put  forth."  The  Lord  of  life  cannot 
reveal  Himself  to  such  as  these.  Only  the  faithful 
disciples,  and  the  parents  whose  hearts  have  been 
prepared  for  such  a  revelation  by  the  discipline  of 
genuine  grief,  are  permitted  to  be  present.  It  is 
probable  that  both  parents  had  their  hearts  fully  opened 
to  the  Lord ;  for  though  the  mother  had  waited  by  the 
daughter's  bedside,  she  had  no  doubt  gone  with  her 
husband  in  spirit  on  his  hopeful  errand ;  and  the 
father's  faith  must  have  been  greatly  confirmed  by  what 
had  happened  on  the  way  back — there  was  nothing 
lost  by  that  delay,  even  though  in  the  meantime  the 
message  had  come  from  the  house  that  it  was  too  late. 
It  was  net  too  late :  it  was  well  that  the  damsel  had 


128  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST   MATTHEW. 

died ;  for  now  the  Saviour  has  the  opportunity  to  show 
that  He  is  no  less  Master  of  the  last  great  enemy  than 
of  all  the  other  enemies  of  man.  "  He  took  her  by  the 
hand,  and  the  maid  arose." 

Lost  Faculties  Restored  (27-34). 

The  raising  of  the  dead  may  be  regarded  as  the 
culminating  point  of  the  series ;  yet  there  is  a  special 
value  in  the  two  that  follow  in  close  succession  before 
the  series  is  complete.  We  have  seen  already  that, 
occurring,  as  they  do,  immediately  after,  they  show 
that  His  power  is  not  at  all  exhausted — a  token  this  of 
the  exhaustlessness  of  the  Divine  love  and  helpfulness. 
But,  besides  this,  are  they  not  resurrections  too — the 
raising  again  of  faculties  that  had  long  been  dead  ? 
Vision  is  a  large  part  of  our  natural  life ;  and  to  lose  it 
is  to  descend,  so  far,  into  the  darkness  of  death.  And 
as  the  e}re  is  to  impression,  so  is  the  tongue  to  expres- 
sion. The  one  is  the  crown  of  life  on  its  receptive 
side,  the  other  on  its  communicative  side  (cf.  Psalm 
lvii.  8;  cviii.  1,  2).  The  eye,  then,  may  well  represent 
life  on  the  one  side  of  it  and  the  tongue  on  the  other ; 
while  the  two  together  represent  it  as  completely  as  it 
is  possible  to  do.  Thus  these  two  cases  really  come 
nearer  to  the  idea  of  spiritual  resurrection  than  even 
the  raising  of  the  dead  damsel.  In  the  case  of  the 
daughter  of  Jairus  there  was  no  part  left  alive  to  make 
its  appeal  to  the  Lifegiver  on  behalf  of  the  rest ;  but 
with  the  others  it  was  different :  the  blind  men,  for 
example,  were  able  to  cry  for  mercy  (ver.  27)  ;  and  it  was 
possible  for  the  Saviour  to  say  to  them,  as  He  touched 
their  eyes,  "  According  to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you  " 
(ver.  29),  which  He  could  not  have  said  to  the  damsel. 

Had  the  series  ended  with  the  raising  of  the  daughter 


viii.-ix. 35]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  129 

of  Jairus,  it  had  been  made  sufficiently  apparent  that 
Christ  was  able  and  willing  to  raise  the  dead;  but 
it  had  still  remained  unrevealed  by  what  means  a  man 
spiritually  dead  could  secure  for  himself  the  resurrec- 
tion of  his  lost  spiritual  powers.  Now  it  is  clear.  The 
death  of  the  spirit  is  parallel,  not  to  the  total  death  of 
the  damsel,  but  to  the  partial  death  of  the  blind ;  for 
though  the  spirit  of  a  man  be  dead,  his  mind  remains 
alive,  his  heart  too,  his  conscience  even,  and  his  body 
of  course;  there  remains  enough  of  him,  so  to  speak, 
to  imitate  the  example  of  these  two  blind  men,  to  ask 
the  Son  of  David  for  mercy,  to  follow  Him  till  he  finds 
it,  to  allow  Him  first  to  draw  out  the  dormant  faculty 
of  faith,  and  then,  having  prepared  him  for  the  mighty 
boon,  to  pour  celestial  light  upon  his  soul,  bestowing 
on  him  a  life  so  new  and  fresh  and  blessed,  that  it 
will  seem  to  him  as  if  it  were,  and  it  will  in  point  of 
spiritual  fact  really  be,  life  from  the  dead. 

It  seems  more  than  likely  that  it  was  because  He 
wished  to  su]  ordinate  the  physical  to  the  spiritual  that 
He  strictly  charged  them,  saying,  "See  that  no  man 
know  it."  If  the  main  thing  had  been  the  restoration 
of  bodily  sight,  the  more  who  heard  of  it  the  better. 
But  His  great  purpose  was  far  higher, — even  to  put 
an  end  to  spiritual  blindness  and  death ;  therefore  He 
must  limit  His  dealings  with  natural  blindness  to  those 
who  were  prepared  to  receive  the  lower  blessing 
without  injuring  them  in  their  higher  nature;  and  to 
make  known  such  a  case  in  the  way  of  advertisement 
through  the  country-side  would  have  been  to  descend 
from  His  lofty  position  as  Saviour  of  men  and  Herald 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  that  of  oculist  for  the 
neighbourhood.  But,  though  we  can  readily  see  why 
the  Saviour  should  forbid  the  publication  of  the  cure 

9 


130  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

it  was  natural  enough  that  the  men  should  disobey 
the  order.  They  probably  attributed  His  injunction  to 
modesty,  and  thought  they  were  showing  a  proper 
appreciation  of  what  had  been  done  for  them  by 
publishing  it  abroad.  Blameworthy  they  certainly 
were;  but  not  inexcusable. 

The  other  case — the  cure  of  the  dumb  demoniac — 
comes,  if  possible,  still  closer  to  the  spiritual  condition 
with  which  it  was  the  work  of  the  Saviour  especially  to 
deal.  Like  the  former,  it  was  the  loss  of  a  faculty  ;  but, 
unlike  it,  it  was  not  the  natural  loss  of  it,  but  the 
eclipsing  of  it  by  the  malign  presence  of  a  spirit  of 
evil.  How  closely  parallel  is  this  to  the  case  of  the 
spiritually  dead.  What  is  it  that  has  destroyed  the  great 
faculty  by  which  God  is  known  and  worshipped  ?  Is  it 
not  sin  ?  Let  that  demon  be  cast  out,  and  not  only  will 
the  eye  see,  but  the  tongue  will  speak ;  there  will  be  a 
new  song  in  the  mouth,  even  praise  to  the  Most  High. 

Furthermore,  as  the  cure  of  the  blind  men  brought 
into  prominence  the  power  of  faith,  this  brings  into 
prominence  the  power  of  Christ  to  save  to  the  utter- 
most. For  what  more  helpless  case  could  there  be  ? 
He  could  not  cry,  for  he  was  dumb.  He  could  not 
follow  Christ  as  the  blind  men  had  done,  for  he  had 
not  control  of  himself;  so  he  must  be  brought  by 
others.  Yet  for  him,  as  well  as  for  them,  there  is  full 
salvation,  as  soon  as  he  comes  into  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  of  life.  No  w onder  the  multitudes  marvelled,  and 
said,  "  It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel "  !  and  no  wonder 
that  the  Pharisees,  unable  in  any  other  way  to  evade 
the  force  of  such  a  succession  of  manifest  signs  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  should  be  driven  to  the  contradictory 
and  blasphemous  suggestion,  "  He  casteth  out  devils 
through  the  prince  of  the  devils  (ver.  34). 


viu.-ix.35-]      THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  131 

The  series  is  now  complete;  and,  long  as  it  has 
been,  we  could  not  dispense  with  a  single  case.  There 
has  been  no  repetition.  Each  case  reported  in  detail 
has  had  its  own  special  and  peculiar  value :  the  leper, 
the  centurion's  servant,  the  mother-in-law  of  Peter,  the 
dealings  with  the  impulsive  scribe  and  the  hesitating 
disciple,  the  stilling  of  the  storm  and  mastery  of 
the  unseen  legions  of  evil,  the  forgiving  of  sin,  and 
welcoming  of  repentant  sinners,  the  healing  of  the 
chronic  invalid  by  the  way,  the  raising  of  the  dead 
damsel,  and  the  restoring  of  sight  to  the  blind  and 
speech  to  the  dumb, — all  different,  all  most  precious, 
all  needed  to  bring  out  some  aspect  of  the  truth  con- 
cerning Jesus  as  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  all  together 
giving  us  a  most  comprehensive  presentation  of  the 
signs  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  now  that  the 
nature  of  His  work  has  been  so  fully  set  forth  in  its 
two  great  departments  of  teaching  and  of  healing,  th<j 
rest  is  left  unrecorded,  except  in  the  general  statement 
that  "  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages, 
teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and  every 
disease  among  the  people  "  (ver.  35). 


IX 

THE  KING'S  AMBASSADORS. 
Matt.  ix.  36 — x.  42. 

I. — The  Mission  (ix,  36 — x.  5). 

SO  far  the  King  Himself  has  done  all  the  work  of 
the  kingdom.  But  it  has  grown  upon  Him,  so  that 
He  can  no  longer  do  it  without  assistance;  He  must 
therefore  provide  Himself  with  deputies.  His  doing  so 
will  be  the  first  step  in  the  organisation  of  His  world- 
wide kingdom.  He  reveals,  however,  no  plan  laid 
down  to  meet  all  possible  emergencies.  It  is  enough  to 
provide  for  necessities  as  they  develop  themselves.  He 
constructs  no  mechanism  beforehand  into  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  which  life  may  be  afterwards  guided  or 
forced ;  His  only  care  is  about  the  life,  knowing  well 
that  if  only  this  be  full  and  strong,  the  appropriate 
organisation  will  be  ready  when  it  is  needed. 

In  conformity  with  this  principle  He  does  not  make 
His  arrangements,  necessary  as  they  manifestly  are, 
without  first  providing  that  they  shall  not  be  mechani- 
cal but  vital,  that  they  shall  originate,  not  as  a  con- 
trivance of  mind  but  as  an  outflow  of  soul.  First, 
we  are  informed  by  the  Evangelist  that  the  soul  of 
the  Master  Himself  was  stirred  with  compassion  as 
He  looked  upon  the  multitude,  and  thought  how  much 


ix.36-x.42.]        THE  KING'S  AMBASSADORS.  133 

they  needed  in  the  way  of  shepherding,  and  how  little 
it  was  possible  for  them  to  have.  It  was  no  matter 
of  planning  for  the  extension  of  His  kingdom  ;  it  was 
a  great  yearning  over  the  sheep  that  were  scattered, 
and  torn  (ver.  36,  Gk.  of  oldest  MSS.),  and  lost  (x.  6). 
But  it  is  not  enough  that  the  Master's  heart  should  be 
touched :  the  disciples  also  must  be  moved.  So  He 
turns  their  thoughts  in  the  same  direction,  urging  them 
to  observe  how  plenteous  the  harvest,  how  few  the 
labourers ;  and  therefore  to  pray  that  the  lack  may  be 
speedily  supplied.  He  sets  them  thinking  and  praying 
about  it — the  only  way  to  lay  foundations  for  that  which 
shall  be  true  and  lasting.  Let  it  be  observed  further, 
that  the  two  emblems  He  uses  present  most  strikingly 
the  great  motives  to  missionary  work  :  compassion  for 
the  lost,  and  zeal  for  the  Divine  glory.  "  Sheep  having 
no  shepherd," — this  appeals  to  our  human  sympathies  ; 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  deprived  of  His  harvest  for 
want  of  labourers  to  gather  it  in, — this  appeals  to  our 
love  and  loyalty  to  God. 

The  result  of  their  thought  and  prayer  presently 
appears;  for  we  read  in  the  next  sentence  of  the 
setting  apart  of  the  twelve  disciples  to  the  work.  It 
does  not  follow,  because  the  narrative  is  continuous, 
that  the  events  recorded  were ;  it  is  probable  that  an 
interval  elapsed  which  would  be  largely  spent  in  prayer 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Master. 

This  is  the  first  mention  of  the  Twelve  in  this 
Gospel ;  but  it  is  evident  that  the  number  had  been 
already  made  up,  for  they  are  spoken  of  as  "  His 
twelve  disciples."  It  would  appear  from  the  second 
and  third  Gospels  that,  immediately  before  the  delivery 
of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  Twelve  were  chosen 
from  the  whole  number  of  disciples  to  be  constantly 


<34  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

with  Him,  as  witnesses  of  His  works  and  learners 
of  His  doctrine.  By  this  time  they  had  been  so 
far  instructed  and  trained  by  their  companionship 
with  Christ,  that  they  could  be  safely  intrusted  with 
a  mission  by  themselves;  accordingly  He  for  the 
first  time  gives  them  power  to  do  deeds  of  mercy  of 
the  same  sort  as  those  which  He  Himself  had  been 
doing,  as  signs  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

As  the  apostles  have  not  been  mentioned  before, 
their  names  are  appropriately  given  here.  The  number 
"  twelve "  was  no  doubt  significant,  as  suggestive  of 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel ;  but  there  was  plainly  no 
attempt  to  have  the  tribes  represented  separately.  It 
would  seem  as  if  all  were  Galileans,  except  one,  and 
that  one  was  Judas  Iscariot  (t.e.f  the  man  of  Kerioth, 
supposed  to  be  a  town  in  Judaea).  The  reason  of  this 
almost  exclusive  choice  of  Galileans  is  in  all  probability 
to  be  found  in  the  simple  fact  that  there  were  none 
other  available.  There  had  been  those,  in  the  course 
of  His  Judsean  ministry,  who  had  after  a  certain  fashion 
believed  on  Him  ;  but  there  was  not  one  of  them  whom 
He  could  trust  with  such  work  as  this  (John  ii.  23-5). 
It  may  be  thought,  indeed,  that  surely  there  might  have 
been  some  better  representative— at  least,  than  Judas 
proved  himself  to  be — of  the  southern  tribes ;  but 
why  should  we  think  so?  We  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  Judas  was  a  traitor  at  heart  when  he 
was  chosen.  Perhaps  there  was  in  him  at  that  time 
the  making  of  as  grand  an  apostle  as  the  best  of 
them.  It  was  not  long,  indeed,  before  the  demon  in 
him  began  to  betray  itself  to  the  searching  glance  of 
the  Master  (John  vi.  70)  ;  but  had  he  only,  in  the  power 
of  the  Master  he  followed,  cast  that  demon  out  of  his 
own  heart,   as  possibly  enough   he  may  have  helped 


ix.36-x.42.]        THE  KING'S  AMBASSADORS.  135 

in  this  very  mission  to  cast  demons  out  of  others, 
all  would  have  been  well.  The  subsequent  fall  of  the 
traitor  does  not  by  any  means  show  that  Christ  now 
made  a  mistaken  choice ;  it  only  shows  that  the  highest 
privileges  and  opportunities  may,  by  the  tolerance  of 
sin  in  the  heart,  be  not  only  all  in  vain,  but  may  lead 
to  a  condemnation  and  ruin  more  terrible  by  far  than 
would  have  been  possible  without  them. 

Not  only  was  the  apostolate  Galilean, — it  was  plebeian, 
and  that  without  a  solitary  exception.  It  seems  to 
include  not  a  single  person  of  recognised  rank  or 
position.  Again,  we  believe  that  this  is  to  be  accounted 
for  by  the  simple  fact  that  there  were  none  of  these 
available.  We  cannot  suppose  that  if  there  had  been 
a  disciple  like  Paul  in  the  ranks,  the  Master  would  have 
hesitated  to  give  him  a  place  in  the  sacred  college ; 
but,  seeing  there  was  none,  He  would  not  go  out  of 
His  way  to  secure  a  representative  of  the  learned  or 
the  great.  Had  Nicodemus  been  bold  enough  to  come 
out  decidedly  on  the  Lord's  side,  or  had  Joseph  of 
Arimathsea  developed  earlier  that  splendid  courage 
which  he  showed  when  the  Master's  work  on  earth 
was  done,  we  can  scarcely  doubt  that  their  names  might 
have  been  included  in  the  roll.  But  there  is  no  such 
name  ;  and  now,  as  we  look  back,  was  it  not  better  so  ? 
Otherwise  there  could  not  have  been  such  a  wonderful 
illustration  of  the  great  fact  that  "  God  hath  chosen  the 
weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which 
are  mighty  "  ;  there  could  not  otherwise  have  been  the 
same  invincible  evidence  that  the  work  these  men  did 
was  not  the  work  of  men,  but  was  indeed  and  in  truth 
the  doing  of  God. 

Though  they  were  all  from  the  lower  ranks  of  life, 
they  were  characterised  by  great  varieties  of  gifts  and 


136  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

dispositions.  Some  of  them,  indeed,  are  scarcely 
known  to  us  at  all.  It  may  be  that  they  were  more 
or  less  ordinary  menj  who  made  no  special  mark  ;  but 
it  would  be  rash  to  set  this  down  as  certain,  or  even 
as  probable,  seeing  that  our  records  of  the  time  are  so 
scanty,  and  are  manifestly  constructed  with  the  idea, 
not  of  giving  to  every  man  his  due — as  would  be  the 
poor  ideal  of  a  mere  writer  of  history — but  of  making 
nothing  of  the  men,  and  everything  of  the  cause  and 
of  the  Master  in  Whose  great  Personalit}'  theirs  was 
merged.  But  those  of  them  who  do  appear  in  the 
records  are  men  of  such  varied  dispositions  and  powers 
that  the  Twelve  might  after  all  have  been  a  fair  minia- 
ture of  the  Church  at  large.  Some  of  the  selections 
seem  very  strange.  We  have  already  referred  to  Judas 
the  traitor.  But  there  were  those  among  them  who 
must  have  been  far  less  likely  men  than  he.  There 
were  two  in  particular,  the  choice  of  whom  seemed  to 
violate  all  dictates  of  wisdom  and  prudence.  These 
were  Matthew  the  publican  and  Simon  the  Canansean 
or  Zealot.  To  have  a  publican,  hated  as  the  whole 
class  was,  among  the  apostles,  was  apparently  to 
invite  the  hostility  and  contempt  of  the  great  majority 
of  the  nation,  and  especially  of  those  who  were  strongly 
national  in  feeling.  On  the  other  hand,  to  invite  one 
who  was  known  as  a  Zealot,  a  radical  and  revolutionist 
in  politics,  a  man  who  had  identified  himself  with  the 
wildest  schemes  for  the  overthrow  of  the  Government, 
was  to  provoke  the  opposition  of  all  the  law-abiding 
and  peace-loving  people  of  the  time.  Yet  how  could 
the  heavenly  King  have  more  effectually  shown  that 
His  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world,  that  the  petty  party 
spirit  of  the  day  had  no  place  in  it  whatever,  that  it 
mattered  not  what  a  man   had  been,  if  now   he  was 


ix.36-x.42.]        THE   KING'S  AMBASSADORS  137 

renewed  in  the  spirit  of  his  mind,  and  consecrated  in 
heart  and  soul  and  life  to  do  the  will  of  God  and  serve 
his  Master  Christ  ?  * 

So  it  has  come  to  pass  that,  though  these  twelve 
men  had  nothing  at  all  to  recommend  them  to  the 
favour  of  the  world,  and  though  there  was  very  much 
from  every  worldly  point  of  view  to  create  the  strongest 
prejudices  against  them  and  to  militate  against  their 
influence,  yet  they  have,  by  the  grace  of  their  Divine 
Master,  so  triumphed  over  all,  that  when  we  think  of 
them  now,  it  is  not  as  fishermen,  nor  as  publican  or 
Zealot — even  the  traitor  has  simply  dropped  out  of 
sight — we  see  before  us  only  "  the  glorious  company 
of  the  apostles  "  ! 

II. — The  Commission  (x.  5 — 42). 

11  These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth "  (in  pairs,  as  we 
learn  elsewhere,  and  as  is  indicated  here,  perhaps,  by 
the  grouping  in  the  list),  "and  charged  them."  This 
leads  us  to  look  at  their  commission.  It  begins  with 
a  limitation,  which,  however,  was  only  to  be  temporary. 
The  time  had  not  yet  come  for  the  opening  of  the  door 
to  the  Gentiles.  Besides  this,  we  must  remember  that 
the  Saviour's  heart  was  yearning  over  His  own  people. 
This  appears  in  the  tender  way  He  speaks  of  them 
as  "  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  Moreover, 
the  apostles  were  by  no  means  ready,  with  all  their 
national  prejudices  still  rank  in  them,  to  be  intrusted 
with  so  delicate  and   difficult  a  duty  as  getting  into 

*  It  is  interesting  to  notice  that,  though  Matthew  here  calls  himself 
Matthew  the  publican,  no  one  else  does.  To  others  the  publican 
is  lost  in  the  apostle — it  is  only  himself  who  will  not  forget  the  hole 
of  the  pit  whence  he  was  digged. 


138  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

communication  with  an  alien  race.     Accordingly  their 
field  is  strictly  limited  to  their  own  countrymen. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  limitation  also  in  their 
message.     They  had  themselves  been  to  some  extent 
instructed   in   regard   to  the  nature  of  the   kingdom, 
its  blessedness,  its  righteousness,  its  leading  principles 
and  features ;    but,  though   they  may  have  begun   to 
get  some  glimpse  of  the  truth  in  regard  to  these  great 
matters,    they   certainly   had    not    yet   made   it   their 
own;    accordingly   they   are   given,   as  the  substance 
of    their   preaching,    only   the    simple    announcement, 
with  which  the  Baptist  had  begun  his  ministry,  and 
with  which  Christ  also  commenced  His  :  "  The  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  at  hand."     Though  there  seems  to  have 
been   a   limitation   on   the   teaching    side,    there   was 
none  on  the  side  of  healing,  for  their  Lord  empowers 
them    to   do   the  very   same   things  for  the   relief  of 
their   suffering   fellow-countrymen   as   they  had   seen 
Himself  doing.      We   have   already    seen    how   much 
teaching   there  was  in   these  signs  of  the  kingdom  ; 
and  we  can  well  believe  that  it  was  far  better,  con- 
sidering  the  stage  of  advancement  the  apostles  had 
reached,  that  reliance  should   be  placed  on  the  light 
such  deeds  of  mercy  would  necessarily  throw  on  the 
nature  of  the  kingdom,  than  on  any  exposition  which, 
apart  from  their  Master,  they  could  at  that  time  have 
been  able  to  give.     Above  all  it  is  to  be  clear  that 
the   privileges   of  the   kingdom   are   free   to   all;    its 
blessings   are   to    be    dispensed   without   money   and 
without    price  :    "  Freely    ye    have    received,    freely 
give." 

How,  then,  were  they  to  be  supported  ?  About  this 
they  were  to  give  themselves  no  concern.  They  were 
now  to   put   in  practice   the   great   command,   "Seek 


ix.36-x.42.]        THE  KING'S  AMBASSADORS.  139 

ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteousness," 
relying  on  the  promise,  "all  these  thirgs  shall  be 
added  unto  you."  But  in  no  miraculous  way  are  they 
to  look  for  the  provision  of  their  wants.  They  are  to 
be  maintained  by  those  among  whom  and  for  whom 
they  labour.  This  was  to  be  no  burden,  but  a  privi- 
lege, reserved  for  those  who  were  found  "worthy" 
(ver.  11).  Nor  was  it  to  be  divided  among  as  many 
as  possible.  They  were  to  stay  on  with  the  same 
person  who  first  received  them,  as  the  one  whom  the 
Master  had  chosen  for  the  honour;  while,  if  any  re- 
fused to  recognise  it  as  a  privilege,  there  was  to  be 
no  weak  solicitation,  but  a  dignified  withdrawal.  The 
regulations  throughout  are  manifestly  intended  to  keep 
most  vividly  before  their  minds  that  they  went  not 
in  their  own  names,  nor  on  their  own  strength,  nor 
at  their  own  charges, — that  they  were  ambassadors 
of  a  King,  clothed  with  His  authority,  armed  with 
His  power,  vested  with  His  rights;  so  that  there  is 
a  manifest  appropriateness  in  the  solemn  words  with 
which  this  part  of  the  commission  closes :  u  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the 
land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
than  for  that  city  "  which  rejects  you  (ver.  15). 

The  part  of  the  charge  which  follows,  and  which 
the  limitation  of  our  plan  will  not  allow  us  to  illus- 
trate point  by  point,  bears  not  so  much  on  the  work 
more  immediately  before  them  as  on  the  whole  work 
of  their  apostolate.  It  may  have  been  spoken,  as  some 
suppose,  later  on,  and  only  put  here  as  germane  to 
the  occasion;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  the  arrangement 
of  this  gospel  is  not  chronological,  but  is  largely 
topical.  Still  there  seems  no  very  strong  reason  for 
supposing  that  the  entire  discourse  was  not  spoken 


140  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

at  this  very  time;  for  why  should  not  the  apostles 
in  the  very  beginning  of  their  way  have  some  idea  of 
what  it  would  cost  them  to  accept  the  work  to  which 
they  were  now  called  ? 

The  leading  thoughts  are  these :  They  must  expect 
to  be  exposed  to  trial  and  suffering  in  the  prosecution 
of  their  mission.  The  Master  Himself  was  sorely 
tried,  and  the  servant  must  not  expect  exemption. 
He  is  not  indeed  to  court  trials,  or  to  submit  to 
persecutions  which  are  not  inevitable:  "When  they 
persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee  ye  into  another."  On 
the  other  hand,  when  the  path  of  duty  lies  evidently 
through  trial  or  danger,  he  must  not  shirk  it,  but 
face  it  boldly;  and  in  all  emergencies  he  is  to  place 
implicit  confidence  in  Him  Whose  servant  he  is : 
"  When  they  deliver  you  up,  be  not  anxious  how 
or  what  ye  shall  speak :  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in 
that  hour  what  ye  shall  speak  "  (R.V.).  "  The  very 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  ye 
not,  therefore."  There  is  no  way  of  avoiding  the 
cross;  and  they  would  be  quite  unworthy  of  their 
Master  should  they  seek  to  avoid  it.  Yet  there  is 
a  great  reward  for  those  who  bravely  take  it  up  and 
patiently  bear  it  to  the  end.  It  is  the  way  to  higher 
honour  (ver.  32),  and  to  the  only  life  that  is  worthy 
of  the  name  (ver.  39) ;  while  to  turn  away  from  it 
is  to  choose  a  path  which  leads  to  shame  (ver.  33) 
and  death  (ver.  39). 

The  passage,  taken  up,  as  so  much  of  it  has  been, 
wi'.h  the  anticipations  of  ill-treatment  which  the  apostles 
will  receive  in  setting  out  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of 
wolves,  closes  most  appropriately  and  beautifully  with 
a  series  of  blessings  on  those  who  will  treat  them  well, 
ending    with  the  encouraging  assurance   that  even  a 


ix.36-x.42.]        THE  KING'S  AMBASSADORS.  141 

cup  of  cold  water  given  to  a  thirsty  disciple  will  not 
be  forgotten  of  God. 

The  lessons  on  Christian  work  with  which  this  passage 
abounds  are  so  numerous  that  it  would  be  vain  to 
attempt  to  unfold  them.  It  is  not  merely  a  record  of 
facts ;  it  is  an  embodiment  of  great  principles  which  are 
to  govern  the  disciples  of  Christ  in  their  service  to  the 
end  of  the  world.  If  only  the  Church  as  a  whole  were 
to  think  and  pray  as  Christ  taught  His  disciples  to  think 
and  pray  before  this  great  event;  and  then  if  the 
labourers  whom  God  has  sent,  or  would,  in  answer  to 
the  prayers  of  the  Church,  immediately  send,  into  His 
harvest  were  to  act — not  necessarily  according  to  the 
letter,  but  in  every  part  according  to  the  spirit  of  these 
instructions, — using  their  own  faculties  with  all  the 
wisdom  of  the  serpent,  and  trusting  to  Divine  grace  and 
power  with  all  the  simplicity  of  the  dove — it  would  not 
be  long  before  all  the  scattered  sheep  were  gathered  into 
the  fold,  all  the  ripe  sheaves  garnered  for  the  Lord  of 
of  the  harvest ! 


THE  SHADOW  OF  THE  CROSS. 
Matt.  xi.f  xii. 

I. — Discouragements  (xi). 

HITHERTO  almost  everything  has  been  hopeful 
and  encouraging  in  our  Evangelist's  record  of 
the  Saviour's  ministry.  It  began  like  daybreak  on  the 
shores  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  Great  multitudes  followed 
Him  wherever  He  went ;  and  those  whom  He  called 
to  be  with  Him  cheerfully  responded  to  the  summons. 
When  He  preached  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom,  the 
people  were  astonished  at  His  doctrine,  and  recognised 
that  He  "  taught  them  as  one  having  authority,  and  not 
as  the  scribes."  His  works  of  healing  were  warmly 
welcomed,  and  to  a  large  extent  appreciated  by  the 
people  generally,  though  already  it  was  apparent  that 
those  whose  selfish  interests  were  touched  by  the 
progress  of  the  truth  were  ready  to  cavil  and  complain. 
Notwithstanding  this,  the  work  has  grown  upon  Him 
so,  that  He  has  found  it  necessary  to  arm  His  twelve 
disciples  with  powers  like  His  own,  and  send  them 
forth  as  heralds  of  His  kingdom  through  the  land. 

But  the  path  of  the  King  is  not  to  be  a  triumphal 
progress.  It  is  to  be  a  via  dolorosa^  leading  to  a  cross 
and    a   grave.      Many   prophecies   had   been   already 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  143 

fulfilled,  as  our  Evangelist  has  shown  again  and  again ; 
but  there  are  others  of  a  different  sort  which  can  as 
little  fail  of  their  fulfilment, — like  that  which  speaks  of 
the  Messiah  as  "  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  a  man 
of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief."  It  is  not  at  all 
to  be  wondered  at,  then,  that  the  Evangelist  should 
now  give  his  readers  some  idea  of  the  discouragements 
which  met  the  King  in  the  setting  up  of  His  kingdom 
on  the  earth.  The  first  of  these  which  he  mentions 
comes  from  a  quarter  from  which  least  of  all  it  might 
have  been  expected. 

I.  John  in  doubt  (vv.  I-15). 

It  was,  indeed,  not  at  all  unnatural  that  John  should 
be  in  doubt.  Think  of  his  character  :  stern,  uncompro- 
mising, severe,  and  bold  to  rashness.  Think  of  his 
circumstances :  languishing  in  prison  for  the  truth's 
sake,  without  any  prospect  of  rescue; — after  all,  was 
Jesus  King,  or  Herod  ?  Remember,  too,  in  what  terms 
he  had  predicted  the  coming  One  :  "  Now  also  the  axe 
is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees ; "  .  .  .  "  He  that  cometh 
after  me  is  mightier  than  I ; "  .  .  .  °  Whose  fan  is  in  His 
hand,  and  He  will  throughly  purge  His  floor,  and  gather 
His  wheat  into  the  garner ;  but  He  will  burn  up  the 
chaff  with  unquenchable  fire."  Did  not  this  betoken  a 
work  which  would  be  swift,  severe,  thorough, — very 
different  from  anything  of  which  he  could  hear  in  his 
prison  cell  ?  The  coming  of  the  kingdom  was  too 
gentle  and  too  slow  for  tie  stern,  impatient  Baptist. 
Accordingly,  "  offended "  (see  ver.  6,  R.V.  :  "  finding 
occasion  of  stumbling")  in  his  Master,  he  sends  this 
message,  in  the  hope  possibly  that  it  may  constrain 
Him  to  avow  Himself  and  to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis  : 
"Art  thou  He  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for 
another  ?  • 


144  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Though  it  was  natural  enough  that  John  should 
doubt,  it  was  none  the  less  trying  to  Jesus.  The 
disciples  were  only  children  yet.  Not  one  of  them 
could  enter  into  full  sympathy  with  Him.  John,  the 
forerunner,  was  the  one  strong  man,  on  whom  He  had 
reason  thoroughly  to  rely,  who  had  been  tried  again 
and  again,  and  always  found  brave  and  true.  Yet  it 
is  he  who  sends  the  doubting  message.  What  a  shock 
it  must  have  been  to  the  sensitive  heart,  what  a  trial  to 
the  faith,  of  the  Man  Christ  Jesus  ! 

The  message  must  have  been  a  very  disturbing 
and  disconcerting  one,  and  fitted,  if  widely  known, 
to  neutralise  to  a  large  degree  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  the  witness  John  had  borne  to  Jesus.  It  is 
the  last  thing  the  Evangelist  would  have  thought  of 
mentioning,  if  he  had  been  actuated  in  the  selection 
of  his  material  by  motives  of  policy;  and  the  fact 
that  this  incident  is  published  in  two  of  the  Gospels 
is  a  striking  illustration  of  what  is  manifest  through- 
out— the  perfect  simplicity  and  candour  of  the  sacred 
historians. 

Have  we  not  reason  to  be  most  thankful  that  they 
did  record  it?  To  the  truly  thoughtful  mind  it  is  no 
weakening  of  the  testimony  of  John;  while  it  is  full 
of  comfort  for  the  honest  doubter,  giving  him  the 
assurance  that  even  when  the  most  serious  questions 
trouble  him — even  though  the  very  foundations  of  his 
faith  seem  to  be  shaken— "  there  hath  no  temptation 
taken  "  him  "  but  such  as  is  common  to  man,"  such 
as  even  a  brave  and  true  soul  like  John  had  to  face ; 
full  of  encouragement  also  to  do  just  as  he  did,— go 
straight  to  the  Master  Himself  with  the  doubts,  and 
let  Him  deal  with  them— wisely,  faithfully,  tenderly— 
as  He  does  here. 


xi.,xii]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  145 

How,  then,  does  He  deal  with  them  ?  By  a  miracle, 
opening  the  prison  doors,  and  so  making  it  perfectly 
plain  to  him  that  not  Herod,  but  Jesus,  is  King  ? 
By  a  sudden  outburst  of  vengeance,  destroying  hosts 
of  unrepentant  sinners  and  alarming  all  the  country 
side,  and  so  satisfying  the  sternest  thoughts  of  the 
Baptist  in  his  cell  ?  Not  at  all  He  deals  with  them 
as  He  intends  to  deal  with  doubters  always  :  points 
him  quietly  to  the  many  tokens  of  His  Divine  mission 
— not  in  the  way  of  judgment  wrought  on  sinners 
nor  of  any  grand  demonstration  which  will  astonish 
the  nation,  but  in  the  quiet  progress  of  His  helpful, 
healing,  comforting  work:  "Go,  and  show  John  again 
those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see :  the  blind 
receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are 
cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up, 
and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them." 
Then  He  encourages  him  to  hold  fast  the  beginning 
of  his  confidence  firm  unto  the  end,  by  adding  the 
significant  words,  "  Blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall 
find  none  occasion  of  stumbling  in  Me "  (R.V.).  It 
was  far  better  for  John  himself  that  he  should  be 
allowed  to  rally,  than  that  anything  special  should 
be  done  to  meet  his  doubts.  He  did  rally;  he  did 
secure  the  blessing  his  Master  set  before  him ;  he 
was  satisfied  without  any  open  demonstration,  satisfied 
to  wait  on  and  suffer  in  faith  and  patience,  till  at 
last  he  sealed  the  testimony  of  his  magnificent  life 
by  a  martyr's  death. 

Those  are  in  some  respects  to  be  envied  who  in 
childlike  simplicity  believe  without  doubt  or  question ; 
but  there  is  a  special  blessing  for  those  who  by  the 
very  force  of  their  nature  must  wrestle  with  doubt, 
yet  in  the  trying  hour  find  no  occasion  of  stumbling 

IO 


146  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

in   Him.      They  come   out  of  the  conflict  more  than 
conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  them. 

The  answer  sent  to  John  was  kind ;  but  there 
was  no  flattery  in  it — not  even  a  word  of  commen- 
dation of  his  heroic  endurance.  The  Master  knew 
the  strength  of  His  disciple,  and  He  dealt  with  him 
accordingly.  But  as  soon  as  the  messengers  are 
gone  He  tells  the  people  what  He  thinks  of  him. 
He  in  effect  deprecates  the  thought  of  judging  John 
by  a  message  sent  in  an  hour  of  weakness  and  de- 
spondency. "Do  not  imagine  for  a  moment,"  He 
seems  to  say,  "that  the  man  you  went  out  into  the 
wilderness  to  see  is  feeble  as  a  reed,  or  soft  as  a 
courtier.  He  is  all,  and  more  than  all,  you  took 
him  to  be.  He  is  a  prophet  indeed ;  and  much  more, 
for  he  is  a  herald  of  the  heavenly  King.  Among 
them  that  are  born  of  woman  there  hath  not  risen 
a  greater  than  John  the  Baptist;  and  though  he  has 
not  the  advantages  of  even  the  little  ones  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  inasmuch  as  he  belongs  to  the 
old  dispensation,  yet,  as  herald  of  the  new,  he  occupies 
a  peculiirly  honoured  place — he  stands  between  the 
old  and  the  new;  for  all  the  prophets  and  the  law 
prophesied  until  John ;  while  from  the  days  of  John 
the  Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
preached,  and  men  are  pressing  into  it.  He  is,  in 
fact,  if  only  you  had  ears  to  hear,  if  only  your  minds 
were  open  to  read  the  Scriptures  according  to  the 
spirit  of  them,  that  very  Elijah  whose  coming  your 
prophet  has  taught  you  to  expect"  (vv.  7-14)- 

So  far  we  have  followed  what  seems  to  be  the  drift 
of  our  Savour's  words  in  regard  to  John ;  but  there 
is   more   than    this   in   them.     He   is  contrasting  the 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  147 

feebleness  and  fickleness  of  the  multitude  with  the 
strength  and  stability  of  John.  There  is  before  His 
mind,  throughout,  the  thought  of  the  transcendent  im- 
portance of  the  events  of  the  time  as  compared  with 
the  thoughtlessness  of  the  people  of  the  time.  The 
question  "  What  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ? "  was  in- 
tended not  merely  to  bring  into  relief  the  greatness 
of  John,  but  to  search  their  hearts.  The  important 
events  of  the  time  had  circled  first  around  John  the 
Baptist,  then  around  Himself.  The  people  had  not 
the  least  idea  of  the  transcendent  greatness  of  John 
and  still  less  of  the  infinite  greatness  of  Him  to  Whom 
he  had  borne  witness.  Jesus  did  not  wish  as  yet 
fully  to  assert  His  own  claims,  yet  He  desired  to 
bring  the  inconsiderate  multitudes  to  some  conception 
of  the  things  which  their  eyes  saw,  to  rebuke  and, 
if  possible,  to  correct  their  thoughtlessness  and  in- 
difference. 

It  is  to  the  presence  of  this  underlying  thought  that 
some  forms  of  expression  are  due  which  otherwise  are 
difficult  to  understand.  This  applies  in  particular  to 
ver.  12,  which  has  been  a  terrible  stumbling-block  to 
expositors.  So  far  as  the  position  of  John  was  con- 
cerned, it  was  enough  to  say  that  from  his  time  the 
kingdom  of  God  was  preached  (the  form  found  in 
St.  Luke) ;  but  in  view  of  the  levity  and  thoughtless- 
ness of  the  multitudes  it  is  put  in  such  a  way  as  to 
suggest  that  it  is  not  your  thoughtless,  fickle,  reed- 
hunting,  sight-seeing  people,  that  get  the  kingdom, 
but  eager,  earnest,  "violent"  men.  The  same  thought 
accounts  for  the  manner  in  which  the  paragraph  closes, 
indicating  that  that  which  had  been  spoken  OLght  to 
lead  to  more  serious  thought,  more  intelligent  appre- 
ciation both  of  the  herald  and  of  the  kingdom  which 


148  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW, 

in  the  spirit  and   power  of  the  Great   Elijah   he  has 
heralded  :  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear" 

But  would  they  hear  ?  Alas  !  no ;  and  this  accord- 
ingly must  be  put  down  as  a  second  and  most  serious 
discouragement. 

2.   The  unreasonableness  of 'the  people  (vv.  16-19). 

Unable  to  recognise  the  true  significance  of  the  events 
of  the  time,  with  deaf  ears  to  the  heavenly  message 
which  first  the  herald  and  then  the  King  had  brought 
them,  they  fastened  their  attention  on  that  which  was 
merely  incidental :  the  asceticism  of  John,  the  social 
friendliness  of  Jesus.  Of  the  first  they  complained, 
because  it  was  not  like  the  second ;  of  the  second  they 
complained,  because  it  was  not  like  the  first.  Any 
excuse  for  a  complaint;  no  ear  to  hear  nor  soul  to 
appreciate  the  message  of  either.  To  what  can  He 
liken  them?  To  a  set  of  children,  sitting  in  the 
market-place  indeed,  but  with  no  thought  of  business 
in  their  heads :  they  are  there  only  to  amuse  them- 
selves ;  and  even  in  their  games  they  are  as  unreason- 
able as  they  can  be.  One  set  proposes  to  play  a 
wedding,  and  the  rest  say,  "  No,  we  want  a  funeral " ; 
then,  when  the  others  take  it  up  and  start  the  game 
of  funeral,  they  change  their  tune,  and  say,  "  No,  we 
prefer  a  wedding."  Nothing  will  please  those  who 
have  no  intention  to  be  satisfied.  Caring  nothing 
for  the  kingdom  which  John  heralded,  the  multitude 
only  noticed  the  peculiarity  of  his  garb,  and  the  stern 
solitariness  of  his  life,  and  said  he  must  be  a  lunatic. 
When  the  King  Himself  comes  with  no  such  peculiarity, 
but  mingling  on  familiar  and  friendly  terms  with  the 
people,  still  caring  nothing  for  the  kingdom  which  He 
preached,  they  find  fault  with  Him  for  the  very  qualities 
the  absence   of  which  they   deprecated   in   John.      If 


xi.,xii.)  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  149 

they  had  acted,  not  as  foolish  children,  but  as  wise 
men,  they  would  have  recognised  that  both  were  right, 
inasmuch  as  each  was  true  to  himself  and  to  the  posi- 
tion he  filled.  It  was  right  and  fitting  that  the  last 
of  the  old  prophets  should  be  rugged  and  stern  and 
solitary,  even  as  the  great  Elijah,  in  whose  spirit  and 
power  he  came.  It  was  no  less  right  and  fit  that  the 
Saviour-King  of  men  should  set  out  on  new  lines  and 
introduce  the  new  dispensation  in  a  manner  suited  to 
its  distinctive  features  of  freedom  and  familiar  friend- 
liness. Thus,  in  the  one  case,  and  in  the  other, 
"wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children." 

3.   The  Unbelief  of  the  Cities  (vv.  20-24). 

Though  the  multitudes  which  had  flocked  to  hear 
John  might  be  fickle  and  thoughtless,  surely  better 
things  might  be  expected  of  those  favoured  towns  by 
the  lake  of  Galilee,  where  the  signs  of  the  kingdom  had 
been  so  abundantly  exhibited  and  the  truth  of  the 
kingdom  so  earnestly  and  frequently  preached.  But 
no :  even  they  "  repented  not."  They  would  bring 
their  sick  in  crowds  to  get  them  healed ;  but  they  hid 
as  it  were  their  faces  from  Him.  They  had  not  indeed 
treated  Him  as  the  people  of  Nazareth  had  done ;  for 
Nazareth  had  cast  Him  out,  and  Capernaum  had  taken 
Him  in.  Yet  His  lamentation  is  not  over  Nazareth,  but 
over  Capernaum.  We  can  readily  see  why.  What  He 
suffered  at  Nazareth  was  a  personal  indignity.  He  was 
so  summarily  ejected  that  He  had  not  time  or  oppor- 
tunity to  set  before  them  the  signs  of  the  kingdom. 
But  in  Capernaum  the  time  and  opportunity  had  been 
ample.  The  truth  had  been  fully  told ;  the  signs  had 
been  fully  wrought.  The  people  had  seemed  to  listen  ; 
and  all  betokened  a  happy  issue.  We  can  imagine  the 
Saviour  waiting  and  hoping  and  longing  (for  again,  let 


ISO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST   MATTHEW. 

it  be  remembered  that  He  was  very  man,  and  that  this 
experience  discouraged  Him  as  it  would  discourage 
any  of  us),  and  then  tasting 'all  the  bitterness  of  hope 
deferred,  ending  in  crushing  disappointment. 

For  a  long  time  He  continues  silent,  bearing  the  heavy 
burden  in  His  heart,  till  the  fountain  of  grief  could  be 
pent  up  no  longer :  "  Then  began  He  to  upbraid  the 
cities  wherein  most  of  His  mighty  works  were  done, 
because  they  repented  not."  The  words  He  speaks 
are  very  awful ;  but  it  is  in  the  last  resort.  Love  and 
mercy  have  been  His  theme  from  day  to  day ;  and  it 
is  only  because  these  are  obstinately  rejected  that 
wrath  and  judgment  must  now  find  a  voice.  It  is  not 
a  wrathful  voice:  there  are  tears  in  it.  What  must 
it  have  cost  Him  to  speak  these  awful  words  about 
Capernaum's  impending  doom  !  To  think  that  those 
who  were  nearest  His  heart  of  all,  to  whom  He  devoted 
the  freshness  of  His  first  days  of  service,  the  dew  of 
His  youth,  so  to  speak — that  they  would  have  none  of 
Him,  but  preferred  to  remain  in  sin  with  all  the  woe  it 
necessarily  entailed, — oh !  it  must  have  been  torture  to 
that  loving  heart.  And  we  may  be  sure  there  was  no 
less  pathos  in  this  last  appeal  to  Bethsaida,  Chorazin 
and  Capernaum,  than  there  was  in  the  later  lamentation 
over  the  city  of  the  South. 

How  does  the  Saviour  bear  Himself  under  these 
repeated  discouragements  ?  The  passage  which  follows 
will  show  (vv.  25-30).  Some  have  found  a  difficulty 
in  the  word  "answered,"  because  there  appears  no 
question  with  which  it  is  connected.  But  did  not  these 
discouragements  require  an  answer  ?  As  we  read,  first 
of  the  doubts  of  John,  then  of  the  thoughtlessness  of 
the  multitudes,  and  then  of  the   impenitence  of   the 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  151 

favoured  cities  by  the  lake,  is  there  not  a  question  in 
our  hearts,  becoming  more  and  more  urgent  as  each 
new  discouragement  appears,  What  will  He  say  to  this  ? 
What  can  He  answer  ?  Thus  our  minds  are  well 
prepared  for  that  which  immediately  follows:  "At  that 
time  Jesus  answered  and  said,  I  thank  Thee,  O  Father." 
Is  it  to  be  a  thanksgiving,  then,  after  such  a  series  of 
disappointments  and  vexations?  Even  so.  As  He 
has  looked  to  the  cities  of  the  plain,  His  voice  has  been 
a  wail ;  now  that  He  looks  up  to  His  Father,  wailing 
ceases,  and  thanksgiving  takes  its  place.  So  will  it 
always  be  to  faith  which  is  genuine  and  deep  enough. 
It  is  only  when  we  look  below  and  around  that  we  are 
depressed.  When  we  look  up  we  are  strong.  "  I  will 
lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  my 
help.  My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord  Who  made  heaven 
and  earth."  Was  it  the  remembrance  of  this  passage 
at  the  time  of  need  which  suggested  the  form  of  His 
thanksgiving :  "  I  thank  Thee,  Father,  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth  "  ? 

Surely  we  have  here  the  living  original  of  that  grand 
apostolic  word,  u  In  everything  give  thanks  "  ;  for  if  "  at 
that  season  "  (R.  V.)  the  Saviour  of  men  found  occasion 
for  thanksgiving,  we  may  well  believe  that  at  any 
season,  however  dark,  we  may  find  something  to  stir 
our  hearts  to  gratitude ;  and  the  very  exercise  of 
thanksgiving  will  bring  a  deep  spiritual  joy  to  set 
against  the  bitterest  sorrow,  even  as  it  was  with  our 
Lord,  Who,  as  St.  Luke  informs  us,  "  rejoiced  in  spirit " 
as  He  lifted  up  His  soul  in  thanks  to  God  that  day. 

What,  then,  does  He  find  to  be  thankful  for  ?  First, 
He  discovers  a  cause  for  gratitude  in  the  very  limitation 
which  occasions  His  sorest  disappointments :  u  I  thank 
Thee,  .  .  .  because  Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from 


15a  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto 
babes."  There  is  of  course  the  cheering  thought  that 
amid  the  general  unbelief  and  rejection  there  are  some 
childlike  souls  who  have  welcomed  the  truth.  Some 
are  fain  to  make  this  the  sole  cause  of  thankfulness, 
as  if  He  meant  to  say,  "  I  thank  Thee,  that  though 
Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
Thou  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes."  But  there  is 
no  authority  for  introducing  this  little  word.  The 
Saviour  gives  thanks,  not  merely  in  spite  of  this  hiding, 
but  because  of  it.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  He  uses 
the  language  of  resignation,  "  Even  so,  Father :  for  so 
it  seemed  good  in  Thy  sight,"  which  makes  it  evident 
that  the  fact  that  so  many  of  the  wise  and  intelligent 
rejected  His  gospel  presented  a  real  difficulty  to  His 
mind,  as  it  has  done  to  earnest  souls  in  all  ages.  But 
while  it  was  no  doubt  enough  for  Him  to  feel  sure  that 
it  was  right  in  the  sight  of  God,  we  are  not  without 
indication  in  what  follows,  that  His  faith  not  only  led 
to  resignation,  but  enabled  Him  to  see  for  Himself 
that  it  was  wisely  ordered.  For  what  is  the  great 
object  of  the  Gospel  ?  Is  it  not  to  dethrone  self  and 
enthrone  God  in  the  hearts  of  men  ?  It  is  clear,  then, 
that,  if  it  had  in  any  way  appealed  to  pride  and  self- 
sufficiency,  it  would  have  defeated  its  own  end.  Sup- 
pose the  revealing  of  things  had  been  to  the  wise  and 
prudent  as  such,  what  would  have  been  the  result  ? 
The  kingdom  of  heaven  would  have  become  a  mere 
scholarship  prize.  And,  however  good  a  thing  scholar- 
ship may  be,  and  however  important  that  it  be  encour- 
aged, this  is  not  the  work  of  the  Christ  of  God.  His 
Gospel  is  for  all ;  so  it  is  addressed  not  to  the  great  in 
intellect,  which  would  confine  it  to  the  few,  but  to  the 
lowly  in  heart,  which  brings  it  within  reach  of  all, — for 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  153 

the  very  wisest  and  greatest  in  intellect  may  be,  and 
ought  to  be,  meek  and  lowly  in  heart. 

Indeed,  is  it  not  to  the  meek  and  lowly  heart  that 
even  the  truths  of  science  are  disclosed  ?  A  man  who 
approaches  nature  with  a  preconceived  theory,  about 
which  his  mind  is  already  made  up,  is  sure  to  miss  the 
mark.  To  enter  into  its  secrets,  prejudices  and  pre- 
possessions must  be  laid  aside,  and  things  observed  with 
open  mind  and  simple  receptiveness.  In  this  connec- 
tion one  sees  the  special  appropriateness  of  the  refer- 
ence to  "  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth."  The  principle 
is  one  which  is  not  restricted  in  its  range  :  it  runs  all 
through  nature.  Still  more  appropriate  is  the  appeal 
to  the  fatherhood  of  God.  It  is  not  for  the  Father  to  be 
partial  to  his  clever  children,  and  leave  the  less  favoured 
ones  to  shift  for  themselves.  To  Him  they  are  all 
"  babes  " ;  and  to  them  He  must  be  not  examiner,  nor 
prize-giver,  but  above  all  Father,  if  they  would  under- 
stand and  feel  His  love.  So  the  more  one  thinks  of  it, 
the  more  in  every  point  of  view  does  it  seem  good  and 
necessary  that  these  things  should  not  be  made  known 
to  the  "wise  and  understanding"  (R.V.)  as  such,  but 
should  be  revealed  to  "  babes,"  to  those  of  childlike 
spirit.  It  is  well.  The  wisest  and  most  learned  may 
join  in  the  thanksgiving,  for  it  is  far  better  for  them  to 
take  their  places  with  the  rest,  as  many  happily  do,  and 
receive  the  same  loving  welcome  ;  and  those  of  us  who 
cannot  call  ourselves  wise  and  learned  should  surely  be 
most  devoutly  thankful  that,  however  impossible  it  may 
be  to  compete  with  these  highly  favoured  ones  in 
obtaining  the  prizes  of  earth,  we  are  at  no  disadvan- 
tage in  striving  for  "  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of 
God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  next  great  thought  which  comes  to  the  relief  oi 


154  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

the  Saviour  in  His  discouragement  is  that,  while  there 
are  barriers  in  the  heart  of  man,  there  is  no  barrier  in 
the  heart  of  God,  no  limit  whatever  to  the  outpouring 
of  Divine  love  and  grace  :  "  All  things  are  delivered 
unto  Me  of  My  Father."  Even  at  the  time  when  it  is 
borne  in  upon  Him  that  men  will  have  none  of  Him, 
He  exults  in  the  thought  that  He  has  everything  for 
them.  If  only  they  could  see  it !  If  only  they  knew 
the  boundless  treasure  there  was  for  them  in  God  !  If 
only  they  knew  that  God  had  put  all  within  their  reach 
by  sending  them  His  Son  !  But  the  Son  is  unknown 
except  to  the  Father,  Who  sent  Him  ;  and  the  Father 
is  unknown  except  to  the  Son,  Who  has  come  to  reveal 
Him.  But  He  has  come  to  reveal  Him  ;  and  with  the 
revealing  the  way  will  be  opened  for  all  good  things  to 
follow.  As  He  thinks  of  it  His  heart  yearns  over  the 
orphaned  children  of  men,  and  He  exults  in  the  thought 
that  He  has  for  them  the  revelation  of  the  Father's 
heart  and  home,  with  enough  and  to  spare  for  all  His 
children  (ver.  27). 

Then  follows  such  an  outpouring  of  heart  as  there 
never  has  been  before.  He  knows  that  only  in  the 
Father  can  the  children  of  men  find  rest,  and  so  He 
says  "  Come  unto  Me,"  and  I  will  lead  you  to  the  Father, 
Who  alone  knows  Me,  as  I  alone  know  Him ;  and  you, 
finding  Him  in  Me,  shall  know  Him  too,  and  your 
hearts  shall  be  at  rest. 

It  is  beautiful  and  most  touching  to  observe  how  our 
Lord  is,  as  it  were,  compelled  to  make  His  appeal  more 
personal  than  He  has  ever  done  before.  We  look 
in  vain  through  His  previous  utterances  as  reported 
in  this  Gospel  for  such  reduplication  of  the  persona] 
pronouns  as  there  is  here.  What  is  the  reason  of 
it?   We  can  see  it  when  we  read  between  the  lines. 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  155 

Hitherto  His  great  subject  has  been  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  This  kingdom  He  has  been  preaching  through 
all  the  country-side,  setting  forth  its  purity  and 
blessedness,  unfolding  its  unspeakable  riches,  and  en- 
treating all  to  enter  in  by  the  strait  gate,  which  He  has 
thrown  open  to  receive  them.  But  they  will  not  enter. 
These  things,  in  spite  of  all  He  can  say,  are  hid  from 
them.  Well  He  knows  what  is  the  difficulty :  it  is 
the  hardness  of  their  hearts.  If  He  could  only  get  at 
these  hearts  !  How  can  He  do  it  ?  It  can  only  be  by 
the  opening  out  of  all  His  heart  to  them ;  so  He  will 
make  His  pleading  a  personal  entreaty  now.  Hence 
the  peculiarly  winning  form  His  invitation  now  assumes. 
It  is  no  longer  "  Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate";  it  is 
not  even,  "  I  have  come  to  call  sinners  to  repentance  "  ; 
it  is  the  cry  of  a  loving,  yearning  heart,  "  Come  unto 
Me."  And  how  tenderly  He  thinks  of  them  ! — no  more 
upbraiding  now,  no  more  reproof.  He  will  try  to 
reach  the  conscience  through  the  heart,  and  so  He 
does  not  even  think  of  them  as  sinners  now — He  forgets 
everything  but  their  weariness  and  woe  :  "  Come  unto 
Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
rest  you."  * 

We  shall  not,  however,  dwell  on  the  precious  words 
with  which  this  chapter  ends.  They  are  as  rich  and 
suggestive  as  they  are  simple  and  heart-thrilling ;  but 
for  this  very  reason  we  must  not  attempt  to  do  more 
than  place  them  in  their  setting,  which  is  often  missed, 

*  This  is  the  literal  translation,  which  means  more  than  "give  you 
rest."  It  is  not  as  if  rest  were  a  blessing  He  could  bestow,  as  a  friend 
would  make  a  present  which  might  be  retained  after  the  giver  had 
gone.  Rest  is  not  so  much  what  He  gives  to  us  as  what  He  is  to  us ; 
and  so  He  says,  not  "  I  will  give  you  rest,"  but  "  I  will  rest  you  "  {i.e., 
I  will  be  your  rest). 


156  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

for  the  words  themselves  have  attracted  so  much 
attention,  and  so  filled  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those 
who  have  looked  at  them  that  too  little  has  been  made 
of  their  surroundings.  Observe  only  how  nobly  the  Son 
of  man  comes  out  of  this  ordeal  of  disappointment  and 
discouragement.  See  the  grandeur  of  His  faith.  "  At 
that  season,"  when  we  should  expect  to  see  Him  in  the 
depths,  He  rises  to  the  very  height  of  His  dignity  and 
majesty.  This  passage  above  all  others  has  been  cited 
as  an  example  of  the  self-assertion  of  Jesus — say  rather 
His  sublime  consciousness  of  divine  dignity,  prerogative 
and  power;  yet  so  entirely  natural  and  unassuming  is 
it  all,  that  in  the  very  same  breath  He  can  say,  without 
conveying  to  the  most  thoughtful  mind  the  least  feeling 
of  incongruity :  "I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart." 
Then,  behold  what  manner  of  love !  These  chilling 
blasts  of  doubt,  indifference,  and  unbelief,  only  fan  it 
into  a  warmer,  steadier  flame.  The  sweetest  of  all  His 
invitations,  the  most  touching  of  all  His  appeals,  comes 
from  a  heart  which  has  just  been  wounded  in  its 
tenderest  place,  and  has  tasted  the  bitterness  of  cruel 
disappointment.  Who  can  measure  the  patient  love 
which  "  at  that  season  "  finds  such  utterance  ? 

II. — The  Contradiction  of  Sinners  (xii.). 

The  darkness  deepens  on  the  Saviour's  path.  He  has 
now  to  encounter  direct  antagonism.  There  have  been, 
indeed,  signs  of  opposition  before,  When  the  man  sick 
of  the  palsy  was  forgiven,  "  certain  of  the  scribes  said 
within  themselves,  This  man  blasphemeth  "  (i.x.  3)  ;  but 
it  was  only  "  within  themselves,"  they  did  not  venture  to 
speak  out.  Again,  after  the  feast  in  the  house  of  Levi, 
the  Pharisees  complained,  but  not  to  Christ  Himself; 
"  they  said  unto  His  disciples,  Why  eateth  your  Master 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  157 

with  publicans  and  sinners  ?  "  (ix.  11).  And  when  the 
dumb  demoniac  was  cured,  the  Pharisees  muttered, 
"  He  casteth  out  devils  through  the  prince  of  the 
devils "  (ix.  34),  but  did  not  yet  say  it  to  His  face. 
But  now  they  are  emboldened  to  attack  Him  directly. 
Possibly  they  saw  as  clearly  as  any  the  discouraging 
aspect  of  affairs  for  the  new  kingdom.  They  had,  in 
all  probability,  heard  of  the  doubts  of  John,  had  taken 
note  of  the  fault-findings  of  the  people  (if,  indeed, 
these  had  not  been  first  suggested  by  themselves),  had 
observed  that  even  "  the  cities  where  most  of  His 
mighty  works  were  done  repented  not "  (xi.  20) ;  and 
having  therefore  less  occasion  to  fear  consequences, 
they  might  think  it  safe  to  attack  one  who  stood  for 
a  rapidly  failing  cause. 

I.  Observe,  first,  the  spirit  in  which  our  Lord  meets 
the  repeated  attacks  of  which  the  record  is  given  in 
this  chapter.  There  are  four  in  close  succession.  The 
first  is  the  charge  of  Sabbath-breaking  made  against 
the  disciples,  because  they  rubbed  a  few  ears  of  corn  in 
their  hands  as  they  passed  through  the  fields  on  the 
Sabbath  da}' ;  and  following  it,  the  entangling  question 
put  to  the  Master  in  the  synagogue.  Then  there  is  the 
accusation  founded  on  the  healing  of  the  blind  and  dumb 
demoniac:  "This  man  doth  not  cast  out  devils,  but  by 
Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the  devils  "  (ver.  24).  The 
third  attack  is  the  hypocritical  application,  "  Master, 
we  would  see  a  sign  from  Thee  "  (ver.  58),  the  word 
'Master"  being  evidently  used  in  mockery,  and  the 
request  for  "  a  sign  "  a  scornful  way  of  suggesting 
that  all  the  signs  He  was  giving  were  worth  nothing 
These  three  attacks  were  made  by  the  Pharisees,  and 
were  most  irritating  and  vexatious,  each  in  its  own  way. 


158  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

The  first  was  annoying  on  account  of  its  pettiness,  the 
second  because  of  its  bitter  malice,  while  the  third 
was  a  studied  insult ;  and  yet,  galling  as  these  repeated 
attacks  must  have  been,  we  may  well  suppose  that  the 
keenest  wound  of  all  to  the  gentle  spirit  of  the  Son  of 
man  would  be  the  last,  inflicted  by  the  members  of  His 
own  family,  who  seemed  at  this  time  as  unsympathetic 
and  unbelieving  as  the  Pharisees  themselves;  for  the 
untimely  interruption  recorded  at  the  close  of  the 
chapter  was  intended,  as  we  learn  from  the  account 
in  the  second  gospel,  to  put  Him  under  restraint  as  a 
madman.  This  last  interruption,  in  which  even  His 
mother  joined,  must  have  been  gall  and  wormwood  to 
that  tender  heart. 

Now  u  consider  Him  that  endured  such  contradic- 
tion of  sinners  against  Himself"  (Heb.  xii.  3).  How 
does  He  bear  Himself  through  these  storms  of  calumny 
and  insult  ?  He  bears  Himself  so  that  out  of  this  dark 
chapter  of  His  history  there  comes  to  us  one  of  the 
loveliest  portraits  of  Him  to  be  found  anywhere.  It  had 
been  sketched  by  one  of  the  old  masters  as  an  ideal 
portrait,  and  is  now  at  last  matched  in  real  life :  "  Be- 
hold My  servant,  Whom  I  have  chosen  ;  My  Beloved, 
in  Whom  My  soul  is  well  pleased  :  I  will  put  My  spirit 
upon  Him,  and  He  shall  show  judgment  to  the  Gentiles. 
He  shall  not  strive,  nor  cry ;  neither  shall  any  man 
hear  His  voice  in  the  streets.  A  bruised  reed  shall  He 
not  break,  and  smoking  flax  shall  He  not  quench,  till 
He  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory.  And  in  His 
name  shall  the  Gentiles  trust"  (vv.  18-21).  What 
gentleness  and  tenderness,  yet  what  strength  and 
majesty  1— for,  though  "  He  strives  not,"  nor  lifts  up 
His  voice  in  angry  altercation,  while  He  will  not  break 
the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax,  He  will 


«.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  159 

nevertheless  declare  judgment,  and  secure  victory,  and 
make  His  name  such  a  power  in  the  earth,  that  the 
Gentiles  shall  hope  in  Him  and  the  world  go  after 
Him.  We  can  fancy  the  glow  on  the  Evangelist's  face 
as  he  pauses  in  the  midst  of  the  sad  record  of  these 
cruel  assaults,  to  look  at,  and  show  to  us,  that  lovely 
portrait  of  the  Son  of  man.  And  is  it  not  all  the  lovelier 
that  it  shines  out  from  such  a  background  ?  Does  it 
not  give  new  significance  to  the  tender  words  which 
linger  in  our  ears  from  the  chapter  of  discouragement 
before  :  "  Learn  of  Me ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls  "  ? 

2.  It  would  have  been  a  great  thing  if  our  Lord 
had  only  borne  in  dignified  silence  these  repeated 
provocations ;  but  He  is  too  good  and  kind  to  leave 
these  misguided  people  to  their  own  devices  without 
an  effort  to  enlighten  their  dark  minds  and  arouse 
their  sleeping  consciences.  How  patiently  He  reasons 
with  them  !  We  may  glance  at  each  attack  in  suc- 
cession as  an  illustration  of  this. 

On  the  charge  of  Sabbath-breaking  He  endeavours 
to  set  them  right  by  citing  appropriate  scriptures 
(vv.  3,  4) ;  appealing  to  the  law  itself  (ver.  5) ; 
furnishing  them  with  a  great  principle  laid  down  by 
one  of  the  prophets,  the  key  of  the  whole  position 
(ver.  7) ;  and  concludes  by  an  illustrative  act,  accom- 
panied by  a  simple  and  telling  argument,  which  appeals 
to  the  universal  conscience  and  heart  (vv.  9-13). 
Again,  how  patiently  He  answers  the  malicious  charge 
of  collusion  with  Satan,  showing  them  in  the  clearest 
manner,  and  with  amazing  power,  how  far  they  are 
astray,  and  what  a  dangerous  path  they  are  tread- 
ing  (vv.    25-37).       So,    too,    in    meeting    the    third 


160  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

attack :  though  He  cannot  but  sternly  rebuke  the 
hypocritical  application  for  "  a  sign,"  He  yet  does  it 
in  such  a  way  as  to  prepare  for  them  in  due  time, 
when  perhaps  they  may  be  ready  to  appreciate  it,  a 
new  sign — His  death  and  resurrection — overcoming 
the  difficulty  arising  from  the  fact  that  He  could  not 
yet  speak  of  it  in  plain  terms  (for  it  was  at  a  later 
period  than  this  that  He  began  to  speak  plainly  of 
it  even  to  His  disciples)  by  veiling  it  under  the  figure 
of  "  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas  "  :  a  way  of  putting 
it  which  had  the  advantage  of  being  memorable,  and 
at  the  same  time  enigmatical  enough  to  veil  its  mean- 
ing till  the  event  should  lighten  it  all  up,  and  bring 
out  its  deep  suggestiveness  ;  and  while  thus  preparing 
them  for  the  new  sign  when  it  should  come,  He  warns 
them  against  that  evil  state  of  mind  and  heart  which 
threatened  to  render  even  it  of  no  avail  (vv.  38-45). 
And  then,  with  what  marvellous  readiness  does  He 
use  the  painful  interruption  with  which  the  chapter 
ends  for  the  teaching  of  truth  of  the  highest  and 
purest  and  tenderest  quality  1  What  patience,  what 
long-suffering,  what  meekness  of  wisdom,  what  faith- 
fulness, what  strength  and  tenderness !  Every  line 
of  the  likeness  drawn  by  the  inspired  hand  of  the 
old  master  is  more  than  justified  (vv.  46-50). 

3.  Observe,  further,  that  in  all  His  dealings  with 
His  bitterest  fees  He  never  in  the  least  degree  lowers 
His  dignity,  but  rather  asserts  it  in  the  boldest  and 
strongest  terms.  It  may  be  questioned,  indeed,  if 
there  is  any  chapter  in  all  the  history  in  which  this 
is  more  marked.  This,  again,  may  be  illustrated  from 
all  the  four  occasions. 

In  the  argument  on  the  Sabbath  question  hear  Him 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  161 

as  He  draws  Himself  up,  in  presence  of  His  accusers, 
and  says :  H  In  this  place  is  One  greater  than  the 
temple "  (ver.  6) ;  and  again :  "  The  Son  of  man  is 
Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day"  (ver.  8).  Must  there 
not  have  been  something  heavenly-majestic  in  His 
look  and  bearing  when  words  like  these  were  allowed 
to  pass  unchallenged  by  such  men  ?  This  conscious- 
ness of  dignity  appears  no  less  in  the  argument  by 
which  the  second  charge  is  met.  In  proof  of  this 
we  may  point  to  verses  28  and  30 ;  and  the  same 
impression  is  produced  by  the  solemnly  repeated  "  I 
say  unto  you"  (vv.  31,  36),  in  each  case  introducing 
one  of  those  declarations  of  judgment  to  which  re- 
ference is  made  in  the  passage  quoted  from  the  prophet 
(vv.  18,  20).  Quite  as  conspicuous  is  the  same 
feature  in  the  third  remonstrance,  in  which  He  asserts 
His  superiority  to  the  great  ones  of  the  old  covenant 
in  language  which  acquires,  from  the  connection  in 
which  it  occurs,  a  strength  far  beyond  the  mere  terms 
employed  :  u  Behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas,  .  .  .  behold, 
a  greater  than  Solomon,  is  here"  (vv.  41,  42).  And 
in  the  last  of  the  four  sad  encounters  the  same  lofty 
consciousness  of  peerless  dignity  is  manifest.  Son 
of  Mary  is  He  ?  brother  of  James  and  Joses  ?  See 
Him  lift  His  eyes  to  heaven,  and  speak  of  "My 
Father,"  and  look  down  the  ages,  and  out  to  the 
uttermost  bounds  of  earth,  and  say,  "  Whosoever  shall 
do  the  wTill  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same 
is  My  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother  "  (ver.  50). 

4.  We  have  seen  how  kindly  and  patiently  the 
Saviour  deals  with  these  cavillers,  so  as  to  give  them 
every  opportunity  of  seeing  their  folly  and  wickedness 
and  the  beauty  and  excellence  of  the  truth  they  are 

XX 


162  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

resisting.  But  He  does  much  more  than  this.  He 
speaks  not  only  so  as  to  meet  their  objections,  and 
give  them  the  opportunity  of  being  set  right,  but  so 
as  to  provide  instruction,  warning  and  encouragement 
for  all  succeeding  ages.  To  show  in  any  satisfactory 
way  how  this  is  done  would  require  separate  treatment 
for  each  of  the  four  instances ;  but  it  may  be  possible 
in  a  very  brief  way  to  suggest  it 

The  first  attack  gave  Him  the  opportunity  of  speak- 
ing on  the  Sabbath  law.  As  we  have  seen,  He  began 
to  treat  the  subject  from  the  strictly  Jewish  standpoint, 
using  the  example  of  David  and  the  ritual  of  the  Temple 
to  correct  the  misapprehensions  and  misrepresentations 
of  those  with  whom  in  the  first  instance  He  had  to 
do.  But  He  does  not  leave  it  as  a  mere  Jewish 
question  ;  He  broadens  His  view,  and  shows  that  the 
day  of  rest  is  for  humanity  at  large — not,  however,  as 
a  burden,  but  as  a  blessing,  the  principle  which  under- 
lies it  being  "  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice."  Thus,  out 
of  this  conflict  there  has  come  to  us  the  Magna  Charta 
of  the  people's  Sabbath,  the  full  text  of  which  is  given 
in  the  corresponding  passage  of  the  second  gospel : 
"The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for 
the  Sabbath :  therefore  the  Son  of  man  is  Lord  also 
of  the  Sabbath."  Here  we  have,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  vindication  of  our  rights  against  those  who  would 
deprive  us  of  the  day  of  rest,  as  if  the  privilege  had 
been  intended  only  for  the  Jews,  and  was  abolished 
when  the  dispensation  closed  ;  and,  on  the  other,  the 
assertion  of  our  liberty  against  these  who,  by  their 
petty  regulations  and  restrictions,  would  make  God's 
precious  gift  a  burden  instead  of  a  blessing.  And  how 
wisely   and    beautifully   does    He    confirm    to   us   our 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  163 

privileges  by  following  the  charter  with  an  argument, 
which,  though  coming  still  under  the  head  of  the 
great  principle  ("  Mercy,  and  not  sacrifice  "),  is  no  mere 
repetition,  but  illustrates  the  wider  aspect  just  unfolded, 
by  its  freedom  from  Jewish  colour,  and  its  appeal  to 
the  conscience  and  heart  of  mankind  at  large :  "  What 
man  shall  there  be  among  you,  that  shall  have  one 
sheep,  and  if  it  fall  into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath  day,  will 
he  not  lay  hold  on  it,  and  lift  it  out  ?  How  much,  then, 
is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep  ?"  (vv.  11,  12). 

The  secondg  attack  gave  Him  the  opportunity  of 
bringing  out  with  great  distinctness  and  vividness  the 
witness  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  His  work  as  Saviour 
of  mankind.  These  Pharisees  regarded  His  miracles 
as  mere  displays  of  power,  apart  altogether  from  the 
spirit  of  purity,  mercy  and  grace  so  manifest  in  them 
all.  It  was  only  this  narrowness  of  view  that  made 
it  possible  for  them  to  imagine  that  the  Spirit  of  evil, 
to  whom  of  course  no  one  could  deny  a  certain  measure 
of  mere  power,  was  behind  them.  How  completely 
He  answers  their  blasphemous  suggestion  by  showing 
that  the  works  He  did,  judged,  not  by  the  mere  power 
they  displayed,  but  by  their  whole  spirit  and  tendency, 
were  at  the  very  opposite  pole  from  the  works  of  Satan, 
we  plainly  see;  but  the  point  now  is  the  permanent 
value  of  His  reasoning.  At  first  sight  it  may  seem  to 
be  quite  out  of  date.  Whoever  dreams  now  of  dis- 
posing of  the  works  of  Christ  by  attributing  them  to 
Satan  ?  Let  us  not  be  over-hasty,  however,  in  con- 
cluding that  old  objections  are  out  of  date.  If  we  look 
closely  at  those  regarded  as  the  newest,  we  may  find 
that  they  are  but  old  ones  in  a  new  dress.  What  of 
the  position  taken  by  some  intelligent  men  in  our  day, 


1 64  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

who  candidly  admit  the  power  of  Christianity  to  elevate 
and  sanctify  men,  and  yet  set  it  down  as  false  ? 

As  an  illustration  of  this,  we  cannot  do  better  than 
refer  to  a  recent  production*  of  the  Agnostic  School, 
in  which  there  is  the  most  emphatic  testimony  to  the 
blessed  power  of  Christianity  in  particular  instances, 
followed  by  these  most  candid  and  generous  words : 
11  What  needs  admitting,  or  rather  proclaiming,  by  agnos- 
tics who  would  be  just,  is  that  the  Christian  doctrine 
has  the  power  of  elevating  and  developing  saintliness, 
which  has  had  no  equal  in  any  other  creed  or  philo- 
sophy." Yet  the  book  in  which  that  sentence  occurs 
assumes  throughout  that  this  doctrine,  which  has  had 
no  equal  in  producing  saintliness — a  quality  which  in 
another  place  is  described  as  "  so  lofty,  so  pure,  so  attrac- 
tive, that  it  ravishes  men's  souls" — is  untrue  !  Is,  then, 
the  argument  of  our  Lord  out  of  date  ?  and  is  it  too  late 
to  ask  the  old  question,  "  Can  Satan  cast  out  Satan  ?  " 

It  does  not  always  follow,  of  course,  that  that  which 
is  good  in  its  effects  in  particular  cases,  is  thereby 
proved  to  be  true.  Truth  and  falsehood  are  to 
be  determined  fundamentally  on  other  grounds  than 
those  of  proved  utility — this  applies  alike  to  truth 
and  duty  ;  there  is  an  absolute  truth  and  falsehood 
quite  irrespective  of  utility,  and  there  is  an  absolute 
right  and  wrong  quite  irrespective  of  utility, — but 
though  we  cannot  in  particular  cases  prove  that  to  be 
true  which  appears  to  be  beneficial,  yet  we  cannot  but 
believe  that  in  the  end,  the  true,  the  good,  and  the 
beautiful  will  be  found  to  coincide;  and  we  maintain 
that,  seeing  the  effects  of  genuine  Christianity  on 
human    character   have    been    tested    for   nearly   two 

*  "The  Service  of  Man,"  by  J.  Cetter  Morrison. 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  165 

thousand  years,  and  have  been  found  to  "make  for 
righteousness,"  nobility,  purity,  all  that  is  good  and 
gracious,  high  and  holy,  it  is  too  late  in  the  day  to  set 
it  down  to  the  father  of  lies.  We  may  be  mistaken  in 
our  passing  judgments,  may  be  misled  into  accepting 
as  eternally  true  and  right  some  measure  or  doctrine 
which  has  not  yet  had  time  to  develop  its  real  nature 
and  character,  which  may  produce  good  results  at  first, 
and  then  by  degrees  develop  other  results  of  quite  a 
contrary  kind — take  the  history  of  Monasticism  as  a 
case  in  point;  but  when  there  has  been  ample  time  and 
opportunity  for  testing  the  fruits  of  a  system,  as  there 
has  been  in  the  case  of  Christianity ;  when  we  observe 
that  the  gospel  of  Christ  has  had  these  wonderful 
effects  through  eighteen  successive  centuries  among  all 
ranks  and  classes,  nations  and  races  of  men — it  ought 
surely  to  require  something  stronger  than  Agnosticism 
(which  at  the  worst  can  only  say,  "  I  do  not  know ") 
to  make  us  believe  the  outrageously  improbable  sup- 
position that  it  is  false,  and  therefore  presumably  of  the 
kingdom  of  lies  and  of  unclean  things.  There  have  been 
too  many  devils  cast  out  of  human  hearts  to  make  it  at 
all  doubtful  that  in  very  deed  "  the  kingdom  of  God 
has  come"  among  us  (ver.  28).  There  has  been  too 
much  spoiling  of  "  the  strong  man's  goods  "  to  make  it 
at  all  doubtful  that  "  a  stronger  than  he  "  has  mastered 
him  and  is  spoiling  his  house.  u  The  Son  of  God  was 
manifested,  that  He  might  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil"  (i  John  iii.  8)  ;  and  wherever  He  has  been  ad- 
mitted into  human  hearts  He  has  done  it,  setting  up 
His  kingdom  of  "  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy 
in  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  argument  is  as  fresh  to-day 
as  the  day  it  was  propounded ;  and  it  has  now  all  the 
added  strength  of  centuries  of  confirmation. 


1 66  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

The  third  attack  gave  our  Lord  the  opportunity  of 
laying  bare  the  root  of  unbelief,  and  setting  forth  the 
important  truth  that,  when  the  heart  is  estranged  from 
God,  mere  signs  are  unavailing.  The  signs  He  had 
given  in  abundance  should  have  been  enough,  especially 
when  the  only  way  of  evading  their  force  the  ingenuity 
of  scepticism  could  devise  had  been  closed  by  the 
powerful  argument  just  delivered.  Besides  this  there 
was  the  crowning  sign  of  the  resurrection  still  to 
come  ;  yet  He  knew  that  even  that  would  fail  to  satisfy 
— not  for  reasons  intellectual,  but  because  of  the  spirit 
of  the  age,  as  He  points  out  in  that  striking  and 
powerful  parable  (vv.  43-45),  and  hints  in  the  sug- 
gestive term,  "  an  evil  and  adulterous  generation " 
(ver.  39),  the  word  "  adulterous "  referring  to  the 
well-known,  and  at  that  time  thoroughly  understood, 
language  of  the  Old  Testament,  according  to  which 
estrangement  of  heart  from  God  is  branded  as  spiritual 
adultery.  (See  Jeremiah  iii.,  Hosea  i.,  ii.,  and  many 
other  passages.) 

Herein  we  see  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the  wide- 
spread unbelief  of  the  age  in  which  we  live.  It  is 
because  the  heart  of  this  generation  is  so  far  estranged 
from  God,  so  wedded  to  the  earthly  and  material,  so 
taken  up  with  selfish  aggrandisement  and  the  multi- 
plication of  the  luxuries  of  life.  In  many  cases  of 
unbelief  the  individual  is  not  so  much  to  blame  as 
the  spirit  of  the  age  of  which  he  is  the  representative. 
Observe  that  the  Lord  does  not  say,  "  Ye  evil 
Pharisees,"  but,  u  An  evil  and  adulterous  generation  " ; 
thus  making  it  evident  that  the  spirit  of  scepticism  was 
not  peculiar  to  themselves,  but  a  something  diffused 
throughout  society.  Hence  it  comes  that  many  men, 
of  blameless  lives — of  whom  it  would  be  a  breach  of 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  167 

charity  to  say  that  they  loved  darkness  rather  than 
light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil — nevertheless  de- 
clare themselves  unsatisfied  with  the  signs  of  the  divine 
mission  of  Christ  our  Lord.  Why  is  this  ?  It  is 
because  they  are  infected  with  the  spirit  of  the  age, 
engrossed  with  the  material,  the  sensible,  the  secular  ; 
while  their  hearts,  "  swept  and  garnished  "  though  they 
be,  are  "  empty  "  of  God  :  "  The  god  of  this  world  hath 
blinded  the  minds  of  the  unbelieving,  that  the  light 
of  the  gospel  of  the  glory  of  Christ,  Who  is  the  image 
of  God,  should  not  dawn  upon  them  "  (2  Cor.  iv.  4,  R.V.). 
Such  persons  not  only  cannot  recognise  the  signs  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  are  in  a  state  of  heart  and 
mind  to  which  no  sign  can  possibly  be  given.  We  are 
indebted  to  the  fine  candour  of  the  late  Mr.  Darwin  for 
a  striking  illustration  of  this.  In  his  Life  there  is  an 
interesting  correspondence  with  Professor  Asa  Gray, 
the  great  botanist,  who,  wondering  how  Darwin  could 
remain  unconvinced  by  the  innumerable  evidences  of 
design  in  nature,  took  the  liberty  of  asking  him  if  he 
could  think  of  any  possible  proof  which  he  would 
consider  sufficient.  To  this  Mr.  Darwin  replied : 
"  Your  question,  '  What  would  convince  me  ? '  is  a 
poser.  If  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  to  teach  us  so, 
and  I  was  convinced,  from  others  seeing  him,  that  I 
was  not  mad,  I  should  believe."  If  he  had  left  it  there, 
it  might  have  been  pertinent  to  ask  him  whether  Christ 
is  not  just  such  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven  to 
teach  us,  and  whether  a  sufficient  number  of  persons 
did  not  see  Him  in  the  flesh,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
multitudes  who  know  Him  in  the  spirit,  to  convince 
us  that  we  are  not  mad  in  believing  it.  He  did  not, 
however,  leave  it  there,  but  went  on  to  say  :  "  If  man 
was  made  of  brass  and  iron,  and  in  no  way  connected 


1 68  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

with  any  other  organism  which  had  ever  lived,  I 
should  perhaps  be  convinced."  Nothing  could  be  more 
candid,  or  more  in  keeping  with  the  transparent  honesty 
of  this  great  man.  But  what  an  acknowledgment! 
Man  must  cease  to  be  man,  and  become  a  metal 
machine,  and  the  universe  must  cease  to  be  a  har- 
monious whole,  before  there  can  be  evidence  enough 
for  so  simple  and  elementary  a  principle  as  design  in 
the  universe  ;  and  then  only  a  "  perhaps  "  !  If  all 
this  were  done  for  me,  "  I  should  perhaps  be  convinced." 
Is  our  Lord's  answer  to  the  seekers  after  a  sign  out  of 
date  ?  u  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  no  sign 
be  given  unto  this  generation  "  (Mark  viii.  12).  How 
could  there  be  ? 

What  will  He  make  of  the  distressing  interruption 
caused  by  the  interference  of  His  mother  and  brethren  ? 
Knowing  their  motives  and  intentions  as  He  did,  He 
could  not  for  a  moment  yield  ;  and  how  was  it  possible 
to  deal  with  them  without  a  public  rebuke,  from  which, 
seeing  that  His  mother  was  involved  in  it,  His  heart 
would  instinctively  shrink  ?  It  was  a  most  painful 
position ;  and  the  more  we  think  of  it,  and  try  to 
imagine  possible  ways  of  extrication,  the  more  we 
must  admire  the  wisdom  and  kindness  shown  in  the 
way  in  which  He  confronted  the  difficulty.  He  makes 
use  of  the  opportunity  for  giving  a  new  and  most 
winning  view  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  a  happ}' 
family,  united  each  to  Himself,  and  all  to  the  Father  by 
the  holiest  bonds  ;  thus  opening  out  the  paradise  of 
a  perfect  home  to  all  who  choose  to  enter  it,  taking 
the  sacred  ties  involved  in  the  sweet  words  " brother" 
and  a  sister  "  and  "  mother,"  and  giving  them  a  range, 
a  dignity,  and  a  permanence  they  never  had  before. 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  169 

In  all  this  there  was  no  word  of  direct  censure ;  yet 
the  sadly  mistaken  conduct  of  His  kindred  did  not  pass 
without  implied  rebuke  ;  for  the  effect  of  His  words  was 
to  make  it  clear  that,  sacred  as  were,  in  His  eyes,  the 
ties  of  earth,  their  only  hope  of  permanence  was  in 
alliance  with  the  higher  ties  of  heaven.  He  has  come 
in  the  loving  Father's  name  to  gather  in  His  wandering 
children  ;  and  if  His  mother  and  brethren  according  to 
the  flesh  attempt  to  hinder  Him,  He  cannot  listen  to 
them  for  a  moment,  but  must  steel  His  heart  against 
their  blind  appeals,  and  that,  not  only  for  His  works' 
sake,  but  for  theirs  also.  They  are  slow  to  believe ; 
but  the  least  likely  way  to  bring  them  to  faith  would  be 
to  yield  to  their  unbelief.  He  will  prosecute  the  path 
of  duty,  though  it  involve  the  sacrifice  of  all  that 
cheers  and  comforts  His  heart;  He  must  set  His  face 
as  a  flint  to  finish  the  work  His  Father  has  given  Him 
to  do,  and  they  will  understand  Him  by-and-by. 
There  is  no  doubt  they  wrould  go  home  with  sore 
hearts  that  day;  but  no  very  long  time  would  elapse 
till  they  would  all  be  most  grateful  that  their  foolish, 
however  well  meant,  interference  had  failed  of  its 
intent. 

The  course  of  events  in  later  times  has  proved  that 
the  gentle  rebuke  involved  in  our  Lord's  reception  of 
the  message  from  His  mother  was  not  only  necessary 
at  the  time  and  for  her,  but  for  the  ages  to  come  as 
well.  We  have  seen  that,  in  each  of  the  attacks  re- 
corded before,  our  Saviour  replies  in  such  a  way  that 
His  words  not  only  meet  the  objection  of  the  moment, 
but  continue  of  permanent  value  to  meet  similar  objec- 
tions and  gainsayings  in  ages  to  come.  So  is  it  here. 
It  certainly  is  no  fault  of  Mary  herself,  whose  name 
should  ever  be  held  in  the  highest  respect  by  all  who 


170  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

love  the  Lord,  that  a  corrupt  Church,  reversing  all  the 
teaching  of  the  Church's  Head,  not  only  elevated  the 
earthly  relationship  far  above  the  spiritual,  but  in  virtue 
of  this  relationship  put  the  mother  in  the  place  of  the 
Son,  and  taught  an  ignorant  people  to  worship  her  and 
trust  in  her  as  a  mediator.  But  the  fact  that  this  was 
done,  and  is  persisted  in  to  this  day,  shows  that  when 
our  Lord  set  aside  the  mere  earthly  relationship  as  one 
that  must  be  merged  in  the  spiritual,  He  was  correct- 
ing not  only  a  pardonable  error  of  Mary,  but  a  most 
unpardonable  error  that  afterwards,  without  any  en- 
couragement whatever  from  her,  should  be  committed 
in  her  name. 

After  all,  however,  it  is  not  the  setting  aside  of  the 
claims  of  Mary  and  the  lowering  of  the  earthly  rela- 
tionship in  comparison  with  the  heavenly,  which  is  the 
great  thing  in  the  passage ;  but  the  Gospel  of  the  Family 
of  God.  We  have  had  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  and  glad  tidings  it  has  been  indeed;  but  have 
we  not  here  something  even  better  ?  It  is  much  to 
be  permitted  to  hail  the  Son  of  God  as  our  King ;  is 
it  not  better  still  to  be  encouraged  to  hail  Him  as  a 
Brother,  to  know  that  all  that  is  sweetest  and  tenderest 
in  the  dear  words  "  brother,"  "  sister,"  "  mother," 
can  be  imported  into  our  relation  to  Him  ?  How  it 
endears  the  heavenly  relationship,  and  hallows  the 
earthly  ! 

Again,  how  it  rebukes  all  sectarianism !  He  "  stretches 
out  His  hand  towards  His  disciples,"  and  then  to  all  the 
the  world  by  that  word  "  whosoever"  And  it  is  not  the 
mere  promise  of  salvation  with  which  this  "whosoever" 
is  connected.  There  are  Christians  in  the  present  day 
who  can  scarcely  allow  themselves  to  be  sectarian 
enough  to  deny  that  there  is  salvation  out  of  the  Church 


xi.,xii.]  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE   CROSS.  171 

to  which  they  happen  to  belong :  they  are  good  enough 
to  think  that  these  people  who  do  not  follow  with  them 
may  somehow  or  other  be  saved ;  but  the  idea  of 
fraternising  with  them  !  that  is  quite  another  thing. 
Now  listen  to  the  Saviour  Himself:  "Whosoever  shall 
do  the  will  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven  "  (no  ques- 
tion of  what  Church  he  belongs  to,  or  anything  of  that 
sort),  "  the  same  is  My  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother." 
No  arm's-length  recognition  there ;  He  takes  all  true 
disciples  to  His  heart. 

Observe,  moreover,  the  emphasis  on  doing,  with 
which  we  are  already  familiar.  In  setting  forth  the 
Gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  our  Lord  was  careful  to  warn 
His  hearers  :  "Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  Me,  Lord, 
Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but  he 
that  doeth  the  will  of  My  Father"  (vii.  21);  and  now 
that  He  is  setting  forth  the  Gospel  of  the  Family 
the  emphasis  is  still  in  the  same  place.  It  is  not 
11  Whosoever  shall  connect  himself  with  this  church  or 
that  church ; "  it  is  not  "  Whosoever  shall  be  baptized, 
and  take  the  sacrament ; "  it  is  "  Whosoever  shall  do 
the  will  of  My  Father  in  heaven."  This  emphasis  on 
doing,  in  connection  with  these  endearing  relations,  is 
most  significant.  There  must  be  love  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family ;  and  what  else  than  love  is  the 
characteristic  of  the  family  ties  ?  But  how  is  love  to 
be  shown  ?  How  are  we  to  distinguish  it  from  mere 
sentiment  ?  Our  Saviour  is  careful  to  teach  us ;  and 
never  is  He  more  careful  than  in  those  passages  where 
tender  feeling  is  most  prominent — as,  for  example,  in 
His  parting  words  in  the  upper  room,  where  again  and 
again  He  reminds  His  disciples  that  obedience  is  the 
only  sure  test  of  love  :  u  If  ye  love  Me,  keep  My  com- 
mandments;" "He  that  hath  My  commandments,  and 


172  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me  "  (John  xiv.  15,  21). 
For  the  same  reason  obedience  is  here  set  forth  as  the 
only  certain  mark  of  the  true  disciple :  "  Whosoever 
shall  do  the  will  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the 
same  is  My  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother  " 


XI. 

THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 
Matt.  xiii. 

"HP*HE  same  day  went  Jesus  out  of  the  house,  and 
JL  sat  by  the  sea  side."  We  can  well  imagine  that, 
after  such  a  series  of  discouragements  and  mortifica- 
tions, the  weary  and  heavy-laden  Saviour  would  long  to 
be  alone,  to  get  away  from  the  abodes  of  men,  to  some 
lonely  place  where  silent  nature  around  Him  would 
calm  His  spirit  and  furnish  a  temple  in  which  He  might 
lift  up  His  soul  to  God.  How  long  He  was  allowed 
to  be  alone  we  cannot  tell ;  but  possibly  He  may  have 
contrived  for  a  time  to  remain  unobserved.  How  bur- 
dened His  spirit  must  have  been !  What  strength  of 
faith  it  must  have  needed  to  look  forward  with  any 
hope  to  the  future  of  His  work  at  such  a  time  of  crushing 
disappointment !  We  must  remember  that  He  was  true 
man,  and  therefore  His  heart  must  have  been  very  sore 
as  He  dwelt  on  the  painful  experiences  through  which 
He  had  just  been  passing.  The  obstacles  which  lay 
right  in  His  path  must  have  seemed  well-nigh  insuper- 
able ;  and  it  would  have  been  no  wonder  if  at  such  a 
time  He  had  despaired  of  the  prospects  of  the  kingdom 
of  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  He  had  come  to 
set  up  on  the  earth.  He  did  not  despair ;  but  He  did 
most  deeply  ponder;  and  the  result  of  His  thinking 


174  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

appears  in  the  series  of  parables  recorded  in  this 
chapter,  which  set  forth,  on  the  one  hand,  the  nature  of 
the  obstacles  the  kingdom  must  meet,  and  the  reason  why 
it  must  meet  them,  and  on  the  other,  its  certain  prospect, 
notwithstanding  these,  of  growth  and  development  on- 
ward to  its  final  consummation. 

If  He  was  permitted  to  enjoy  His  seclusion,  it  was 
only  for  a  short  time.  "He  could  not  be  hid,"  His 
quiet  retreat  was  discovered ;  and  presently  there  came 
to  Him  great  multitudes,  so  many  that  the  only  con- 
venient way  to  address  them  all  was  to  get  into  a 
boat,  and  speak  to  the  people  gathered  on  the  shore. 
It  is  a  lovely  picture:  the  multitudes  on  the  shore 
with  the  green  fields  around  and  the  hills  behind, 
and  the  Master  speaking  from  the  little  boat.  Viewed 
apart  from  the  sorrowful  experience  of  the  past,  it 
would  have  been  full  of  cheer  and  hope.  What  more 
encouraging  sight  than  such  a  throng  gathered  to  hear 
the  words  of  light  and  hope  He  had  for  them  ?  But 
how  can  He  view  it  apart  from  the  sorrowful  experience 
of  the  past  ?  Have  not  these  crowds  been  around 
Him  day  after  day,  week  after  week;  and  what  has 
come  of  it  all  ? 

It  is  one  thing  to  sow  the  seed  of  the  kingdom ;  it 
is  quite  another  to  gather  the  harvest.  The  result 
depends  on  the  soil.  Some  of  it  may  be  hard,  so  that 
the  seed  cannot  enter ;  some  of  it,  though  receptive  on 
the  surface,  yet  so  rocky  underneath,  that  the  fairest 
shoots  will  wither  in  a  day ;  some  of  it  so  filled  with 
seeds  of  thorns  and  weeds,  that  plants  of  grace  are 
choked  as  they  attempt  to  grow ;  while  only  a  portion, 
and  it  may  be  a  small  proportion  of  the  whole,  can  yield 
a  fair  or  full  return.  Such  were  His  thoughts  as  He 
looked  on  the  field  of  men  before  Him,  and  glanced  from 


xiii.j  THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  175 

it  to  the  fields  of  the  plain  of  Gennesaret  around,  in  the 
foreground  of  which  as  in  a  picture  the  multitudes  were 
set.  As  He  thought,  so  He  spoke,  using  the  one  field 
as  a  parable  of  the  other,  thus  veiling,  and  at  the  same 
time  beautifully  revealing,  His  thought  in  a  figure,  which, 
simple  as  it  was,  demanded  some  degree  of  spiritual 
understanding  for  its  appreciation ;  and  accordingly  after 
speaking  the  parable  He  adds  the  suggestive  word, 
"  Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear." 

There  is  something  very  touching  in  that  word.  It 
thrills  with  the  pathos  of  these  preceding  chapters  of 
disappointment.  He  had  such  a  message  for  them — 
good  tidings  of  great  joy,  rest  for  the  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  words  of  life  and  light  and  hope  eternal — if  only 
there  were  ears  to  hear.  But  that  sad  passage  of 
Isaiah  is  running  in  His  mind :  "  By  hearing  ye  shall 
hear,  and  shall  not  understand ;  and  seeing  ye  shall 
see,  and  shall  not  perceive :  for  this  people's  heart  is 
waxed  gross,  and  their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing,  and 
their  eyes  they  have  closed;  lest  at  any  time  they 
should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears, 
and  should  understand  with  their  heart,  and  should  be 
converted,  and  I  should  heal  them."  That  is  the  great 
obstacle,  the  one  hindrance.  Oh !  if  only  men  would 
hear;  if  only  they  would  not  close  the  ears  of  their 
souls !     "Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear." 

I. — The  Principle  of  Parabolic  Instruction. 

The  parable  is  a  new  style  of  teaching  as  compared 
with  that  of  which  the  " Sermon  on  the  Mount"  was  so 
notable  an  example.  That  discourse  was  not  by  any 
means  lacking  in  illustration ;  still  its  main  lines  of 
thought  were  of  the  nature  of  direct  spiritual  instruction. 


176  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

But  here  there  is  no  direct  spiritual  teaching.  It  is 
all  indirect ;  it  is  parabolic  through  and  through.  No 
wonder  the  disciples  noticed  the  difference,  and  came 
to  the  Master  with  the  question,  "Why  speakest  Thou 
unto  them  in  parables  ?  "  The  answer  He  gives  is  a 
revelation  of  the  thoughts  which  have  been  passing  in 
His  mind.  Of  this  disclosure  we  have  already  availed 
ourselves  in  our  attempt  to  picture  the  scene;  but  it 
remains  to  look  at  this  weighty  passage  as  answering 
the  disciples'  question,  and  so  explaining  the  rise  of  that 
form  of  instruction  in  which,  as  in  all  that  He  did,  He 
showed  himself  a  perfect  Master. 

The  whole  thing  turns  on  the  distinction  between 
earnest  inquirers  and  careless  hearers.  There  must 
have  been  many  of  the  latter  in  His  audience,  for 
this  was  no  selected  company,  like  that  which  listened 
to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  earnest  inquirer 
has  ears  to  hear;  the  other  has  not.  The  difference 
this  makes  is  most  strikingly  set  forth  in  the  strong 
declaration :  "  Whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given, 
and  he  shall  have  more  abundance:  but  whosoever 
hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken  away  even  that 
he  hath," — that  is,  instead  of  being  the  better  for 
what  he  has  heard,  he  is  the  worse;  not  apprehend- 
ing the  truth,  he  is  only  perplexed  and  confused  by 
it,  and  instead  of  going  away  enriched,  he  is  poorer 
than  ever. 

What,  then,  is  to  be  done  ?  If,  instead  of  doing  the 
people  good,  it  only  does  them  harm,  why  try  to 
teach  them  at  all  ?  Why  not  let  them  alone,  till  they 
come  with  ears  to  hear,  ready  to  receive  ?  Happily 
this  sad  alternative  is  not  the  only  resource.  The 
truth  may  be  put  in  such  a  way  that  it  has  both  a 
shell  and  kernel  of  meaning ;  and  the  kernel  may  be  so 


xiii.]  THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  177 

inclosed  in  the  shell  that  it  can  be  kept  safely  there, 
ready  for  the  time  when  the  inner  fruit,  which  is  the 
true  food  of  the  soul,  can  be  used.  For  this  purpose 
the  parable  is  pre-eminently  serviceable.  The  shell  of 
meaning  is  so  simple  and  familiar,  that  even  a  child 
can  understand  it;  being  of  the  nature  of  a  story, 
it  is  very  easily  remembered ;  and  connected  as  it 
is  with  that  which  is  frequently  observed,  it  will  come 
up  again  and  again  to  the  minds  of  those  in  whom 
the  thought  has  been  lodged ;  so  that,  even  if,  on 
first  hearing  it,  there  is  no  possibility  of  understanding 
its  deep  spiritual  significance,  the  time  may  come 
when  it  will  flash  upon  the  spirit  the  light  which 
has  been  concealed  within  and  so  preserved  from 
waste. 

Take  this  parable  of  "  The  Sower  n  as  an  illustration. 
The  disciples,  having  ears  to  hear,  were  ready  to  get 
the  good  of  it  at  once,  so  to  them  He  expounds  it 
(vv.  18-23)  on  the  spot.  The  rest  were  not  ready 
to  receive  and  apply  it.  Having  ears  (but  not  ears 
to  hear),  they  heard  not;  but  did  it  follow  from  this 
that  it  was  useless,  even  worse  than  useless,  to  give 
it  them  ?  Had  the  teaching  been  direct,  it  would 
have  been  so  ;  for  they  would  have  heard  and  rejected, 
and  that  would  have  been  the  last  of  it.  But  put 
as  it  was  in  parabolic  form,  while  they  were  not 
prepared  to  understand  and  apply  it  then,  they  could 
not  but  carry  it  away  with  them ;  and,  as  they  walked 
the  fields,  and  observed  the  birds  picking  the  seeds 
from  the  trodden  field-paths,  or  the  tiny  plants  wither- 
ing on  the  rocky  ledges,  or  the  springing  wheat 
strangled  with  rank  growths  of  thorns,  or  the  healthy 
growing  wheat  plant,  or  later  in  the  season  the  rich 
golden  grain  on  the  good  soil,  they  would  have  oppor- 

12 


178  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

tunity  after  opportunity  of  getting  a  glimpse  of  the 
truth,  and  finding  that  which  at  the  first  they  were 
so  unprepared  to  receive. 

In  this  we  can  see  the  harmony  of  the  passage 
before  us,  with  its  parallels  in  the  second  and  third 
Gospels,  where  the  object  of  speaking  in  parables  is 
represented  as  being  "that  seeing,  they  might  not 
see,  and  hearing  they  might  not  understand"  (see 
Mark  iv.  12,  and  Luke  viii.  10).  It  is  true  that  the 
object  of  the  parable  was  to  veil  as  well  as  to  reveal ; 
and  the  effect,  which  was  also  an  intended  effect, 
was  to  veil  it  from  the  unprepared  heart  and  reveal 
it  to  the  heart  prepared ;  but  inasmuch  as  the  heart 
which  is  unprepared  to-day  may  be  prepared  to- 
morrow, or  next  month,  or  next  year,  the  parable 
may  serve,  and  was  intended  to  serve,  the  double 
purpose  of  veiling  it  and  revealing  it  to  the  same 
person — veiling  it  from  him  as  long  as  his  heart  was 
gross,  but  revealing  it  to  him  as  soon  as  he  should 
turn  to  the  Lord  and  be  willing  to  use  his  spiritual 
powers  of  apprehension  for  the  purpose  for  which 
they  had  been  given  him.  Thus,  while  this  method 
of  instruction  was  of  the  nature  of  judgment  on  the 
hardhearted  for  the  moment,  it  was  really  in  the 
deepest  sense  a  device  of  love,  to  prolong  the  time 
of  their  opportunity,  to  give  them  repeated  chances 
instead  of  only  one.  It  was  judgment  for  the  moment, 
with  a  view  to  mercy  in  the  time  to  come.  So  we 
find,  as  always,  that  even  when  our  Saviour  seems 
to  deal  harshly  with  men,  His  deepest  thoughts  are 
thoughts  of  love ;  and  in  His  recourse  to  the  parabolic 
veil,  He  is  once  more  illustrating  the  truth  of  the 
prophet's  description  of  Him  cited  in  the  foregoing 
chapter :    "  A  bruised  reed   shall    He   not  break,  and 


xiii.]  THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  179 

smoking  flax  shall  He  not  quench,  till  He  send  forth 
judgment  unto  victory." 

How  many  difficulties  might  have  been  avoided  if 
expositors  had  used  less  of  the  mere  "dry  light"  of 
the  understanding,  and  tried  more  to  lay  their  hearts 
alongside  the  beating  heart  of  Christ !  "  Is  not  my 
word  like  as  a  fire  ?  saith  the  Lord."  Had  this  been 
remembered,  and  the  fire  of  love  in  such  a  passage 
as  this  brought  to  bear  upon  the  heart,  before  it  was 
used  u  like  a  hammer  that  breaketh  the  rock  in  pieces," 
how  different  in  many  cases  would  have  been  the 
result !  It  is  sad  to  think  that  this  very  passage  as 
to  the  object  of  the  parables  has  been  used  as  if  it 
simply  taught  predestination  in  its  hardest  sense, 
dooming  the  poor  misguided  soul  to  hopelessness  for 
ever;  whereas,  if  we  enter  at  all  into  sympathy  with 
the  Saviour's  heart  in  the  sad  and  trying  circumstances 
in  which  the  words  were  spoken,  we  find  in  it  no 
harshness  at  all,  but  the  yearning  of  a  patient  love, 
seeking  if  by  any  means  He  may  reach  and  gain  the 
lost. 

We  have,  indeed,  the  evidence  on  every  side  that 
the  Saviour's  heart  was  greatly  moved  at  this  time. 
We  have  already  recognised  the  pathos  of  the  cry, 
"Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear."  We  have 
seen  the  sorrow  of  His  heart  in  the  sad  quotation 
from  the  prophet  Isaiah.  On  the  other  hand,  what 
joy  He  has  in  those  who  do  see  and  hear ! — "  But 
blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see ;  and  your  ears, 
for  they  hear.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  many 
prophets  and  righteous  men  have  desired  to  see  those 
things  which  ye  see,  and  have  not  seen  them  ;  and 
to  hear  those  things  which  ye  hear,  and  have  not 
heard   them."      The   same   satisfaction   appears   later 


i8o  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

(ver.  51),  when,  after  finishing  the  series,  He  asks 
His  disciples,  "  Have  ye  understood  all  these  things  ?  " 
and  they  say  unto  Him,  "  Yea,  Lord."  He  adds, 
"  Therefore  every  scribe  which  is  instructed  unto  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  an 
householder,  which  bringeth  forth  out  of  his  treasure 
things  new  and  old."  The  Saviour  evidently  rejoices 
in  the  thought  that  these  disciples,  having  ears  to 
hear,  are  making  real  progress, — so  much  so  that  in 
due  time  they  will  be  ready  to  be  teachers  of  others, 
each  having  a  treasury  of  his  own ;  and  not  only  will 
they  be  in  possession  of  the  old,  but  will  have  power 
to  strike  out  new  views  of  sacred  truth,  and  so  be  pre- 
pared with  freshness  and  variety  to  set  forth  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  How  fully  these 
hopes  were  realised  we  have  only  to  look  forward  to 
the  epistles  to  see.  There  we  have  things  old,  the  very 
truths  the  Master  taught  in  the  days  of  His  flesh ;  and 
not  the  old  alone,  for  there  are  things  new  as  well, 
fresh  settings  of  the  old,  new  aspects,  varied  applica- 
tions of  the  truth — a  treasury  indeed  for  the  ages  to 
come.  The  Saviour,  then,  had  good  reason  to  take 
comfort  that  some  of  the  seed  He  was  sowing  in  tears 
was  falling  on  good  soil,  and  promising  a  rich  and 
blessed  harvest. 

But  the  dark  and  discouraging  side  is  never  long  out 
of  sight.  Returning  to  His  own  country,  and  teaching 
in  their  synagogue,  He  so  impressed  the  people  that 
they  could  not  but  ask  certain  questions,  which,  if  they 
had  only  pondered  them,  would  have  led  them  to  the 
truth  :  "  Whence  hath  this  man  this  wisdom,  and  these 
mighty  works  ? "  But  the  mere  outside  things  that 
met  their  eyes  so  engrossed  their  attention,  that  their 
heads  and  hearts  remained  as  empty  as  ever.     Instead 


:iii.]  THE  PARABLES  OF   THE  KINGDOM.  1S1 


of  pressing  the  question  Whence  ?  which  would  have  led 
them  up  to  heaven  and  to  God,  they  dwelt  upon  "  this 
man"  this  common  man,  this  carpenter's  son,  with  a 
mother  called  Mary,  and  brothers  with  the  common 
names,  James  and  Joseph,  Simon  and  Judas  ;  so,  proving 
themselves  to  be  of  the  earth  earthy,  they  closed  their 
ears  and  were  "  offended  in  Him."  It  was  very  evident 
that  the  only  hope  of  reaching  people  of  that  kind 
was  to  speak  in  parables,  which  they  could  remember 
without  understanding  in  the  meantime,  with  the  hope 
that  by-and-by  as  they  thought  of  the  subject  without 
such  prejudices  as  these  which  now  cause  them  to 
stumble,  they  may  at  last  understand,  and  receive  the 
truth  and  inherit  eternal  life. 

II. — The  Group  of  Seven. 

So  far  we  have  dealt  with  the  parabolic  method  of 
teaching,  and  in  doing  so  have  glanced  at  only  one  of 
the  seven  parables  the  chapter  contains,  every  one  of 
which  invites  special  study  ;  but  inasmuch  as  our  plan 
will  not  admit  of  this,  we  shall  attempt  nothing  more 
than  a  general  view  of  the  entire  group;  and  to  this 
we  restrict  ourselves  the  more  willingly  that  there  is  a 
unity  in  the  cluster  which  is  apt  to  escape  notice  when 
they  are  considered  apart,  and  because  by  letting  go 
the  details  we  get  the  prominent  features  more  vividly 
before  our  minds. 

The  arrangement  seems  to  be  in  three  pairs,  with  a 
single  concluding  parable.  The  first  pair — " The  Sower" 
and  "The  Tares  " — set  forth  the  manner  of  the  establish- 
ment of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  the  obstacles  it 
must  encounter.  The  sphere  from  which  both  parables 
are  taken  is  admirably  suited  to  brihg  out  the  radical 
distinction  in  regard  to  the  manner  of  its  establishment 


1 82  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

between  the  new  kingdom  and  those  with  which  the 
people  were  already  familiar.  They  were  founded  by 
the  sword ;  this  kingdom  by  the  Word.  Not  force,  but 
persuasion,  is  to  be  the  weapon  ;  and  accordingly  there 
is  placed  before  the  mind,  not  a  warrior  hasting  to 
battle,  but  a  sower  sowing  seed.  "  The  field  is  the 
world,"  we  are  told — the  world  of  men,  of  human  hearts ; 
and  the  seed  is  "  the  word  of  the  kingdom."  It  is 
"good  seed,"  and  therefore  it  ought  to  be  welcome; 
but  there  are  serious  obstacles  in  the  way. 

The  first  parable  sets  forth  the  obstacles  encountered 
in  the  soil  itself.  Sometimes  the  seed  falls  on  hard  soil, 
where  it  cannot  penetrate  the  surface,  and  presently 
birds  come  and  carry  it  away — representing  those 
hearers  of  the  word,  who,  though  they  remember  it  for 
a  short  time,  have  their  hearts  hardened  against  it,  so 
that  it  does  not  enter,  but  is  presently  snatched  away 
by  trifling  worldly  thoughts  which  come  fluttering  into 
the  mind.  Then  there  is  the  shallow  soil,  a  little  loose 
earth  on  the  surface,  and  close  under  it  the  hard  rock, 
harder  even  than  the  trodden  wayside — a  kind  of  soil  in 
which  the  seed  will  rapidly  take  root  and  spring  up, 
and  as  rapidly  wither  away  in  the  noonday  heat,  and 
which  therefore  fitly  represents  those  who  are  easily 
impressed,  but  whose  impressions  do  not  last ;  who 
make  many  resolutions  indeed,  but  in  so  half-hearted 
and  impulsive  a  way  that  they  are  destined  to  be 
blighted  by  the  first  blast  of  temptation.  Finally,  there 
is  the  preoccupied  soil,  where  thorns  and  thistles  hold 
the  ground  and  choke  the  springing  plants  of  grace, 
representing  those  who  "are  choked  with  cares,  and 
riches  and  pleasures  of  this  life,  and  bring  no  fruit  to 
maturity." 

The  good  soil  is  marked  by  characteristics  which  are 


xih.j  THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  KINGDOM.  183 

simply  the  negatives  of  these  :  it  is  not  hard,  so  the  seed 
enters ;  not  shallow,  so  it  takes  root ;  not  preoccupied, 
so  it  holds  the  ground,  and  springs  up  and  brings  forth 
fruit,  "in  some  thirty,  in  some  sixty,  in  some  a  hundred- 
fold." 

There  are,  however,  other  obstacles  than  those  found 
in  the  nature  of  the  soil.  There  is  the  diligence  of  the 
enemy,  and  the  impossibility  of  getting  rid  of  those  who 
have  come  under  his  influence,  as  set  forth  in  the  second 
parable,  that  of  "  The  Tares  of  the  Field."  In  this 
parable  the  good  seed  is  no  longer  the  word,  but  "the 
children  of  the  kingdom";  as  if  to  suggest  that  Chris- 
tians themselves  are  to  be  to  the  world  what  the  word 
has  been  to  them ;  while  the  bad  seed — sown  when 
men  sleep,  sown  when  Christians  are  asleep — does  not 
remain  as  mere  seed,  but  embodies  itself  in  "  children 
of  the  wicked  one,"  who  take  their  places  side  by  side 
with  the  true  children  of  the  kingdom,  and  whom  it  is 
so  difficult  to  distinguish  from  them,  that  the  separation 
may  not  be  attempted  till  the  time  of  the  harvest,  when 
it  shall  be  complete  and  final,  and  "  the  righteous  shall 
shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father." 

The  second  pair — "  The  Mustard  Seed  "  and  "  The 
Leaven  " — set  forth  the  growth  of  the  kingdom  notwith- 
standing the  many  obstacles  it  must  encounter,  the  one 
indicating  its  growth  as  recognisable  to  the  observant 
eye,  the  other  its  pervasive  power  as  permeating  society. 
This  twofold  view  of  the  development  of  the  kingdom  is  in 
the  same  line  of  thought  as  the  illustrations  of  the  light 
and  the  salt  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  prophecy 
these  parables  infold  is  most  marvellous,  spoken  as 
it  was  in  a  time  of  so  deep  discouragement.  There  is 
true  pathos  in  the  thought  of  the  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
u  the  least  of  all  seeds,"  and  in  the  little  word  "hid," 


1 84  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

which  comes  in  so  significantly  in  the  parable  of  the 
Leaven  ;  and  there  is  great  strength  of  faith  in  the 
readiness  of  mind  to  recognise  the  hopeful  thought  of 
the  inherent  life  and  energy  hidden  in  the  tiny  germ, 
and  working  all  unseen  in  the  little  leaven  which  literally 
disappeared  in  the  at  first  unaltered  mass. 

The  parables  of  "The  Hid  Treasure"  and  "The  Pearl" 
form  a  third  pair,  shadowing  forth  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  The  reduplication  of  the  thought  adds 
greatly  to  its  impressiveness,  and  moreover  affords  the 
opportunity  of  suggested  variation  in  the  experience 
of  those  who  find  the  treasure.  The  merchantman  we 
naturally  think  of  as  representing  the  rich,  and  the 
man  finding  the  treasure  in  the  field  as  one  of  the  poor 
in  this  world's  goods.  Both  alike,  however,  "  buy " 
their  prize  at  the  price  of  all  that  they  possess,  on  the 
principle  wThich  underlies  all  our  Lord's  teaching  as 
to  the  way  of  life  :  "  Whosoever  he  be  of  you  that 
forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath  cannot  be  My  disciple." 
The  one  comes  upon  his  treasure  unexpectedly  ; 
the  other  finds  it  in  the  course  of  diligent  search. 
Both  alike,  however,  recognise  its  exceeding  value  as 
soon  as  it  is  seen ;  and  it  is  under  no  constraint,  but 
willingly  and  g'adly — "  for  joy  thereof,"  as  it  is  put  in 
the  case  of  the  man  who  from  his  not  seeking  it  might 
have  been  thought  indifferent  to  it — that  each  one  sells 
all  that  he  has  and  buys  it. 

The  last  parable,  according  to  the  arrangement  we 
have  suggested,  stands  alone.  It  is  the  parable  of  "The 
Net,"  and  its  subject  is  the  consummation  of  the  King- 
dom. Its  teaching  is  indeed  to  a  great  extent  anticipated 
in  the  parable  of  the  tares  of  the  field  ;  but  in  that 
parable,  though  "  the  end  of  the  world"  is  pictured  in 
the  most  impressive  imagery,  it  is  not  the  main  thought, 


xiii.]  THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  KINGDOM  185 

as  it  is  here,  where  the  one  lesson  is,  that  the  present 
mixed  state  of  things  cannot  continue  for  ever,  that 
there  must  come  a  time  of  separation,  when  those 
in  whose  hearts  God  reigns  shall  be  gathered  to  a 
place  by  themselves,  where  they  shall  be  satisfied  for 
ever,  with  their  treasure  no  longer  hid,  but  open  in  all 
its  immeasurable  fulness  ;  while  those  who  refused  to 
allow  God  to  reign  in  their  hearts,  and  preferred  their 
own  selfishness  and  sin,  shall  be  cast  away  and  con- 
sumed, with  "  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth." 


XII 

THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE. 
Matt.  xiv. — xvi.  12. 

THE  lives  of  John  and  of  Jesus,  lived  so  far  apart, 
and  with  so  little  intercommunication,  have  yet 
been  interwoven  in  a  remarkable  way,  the  connection 
only  appearing  at  the  most  critical  times  in  the  life  of 
our  Lord.  This  interweaving,  strikingly  anticipated  in 
the  incidents  of  the  nativity  as  recorded  by  St.  Luke, 
appears,  not  only  at  the  time  of  our  Saviour's  baptism 
and  first  introduction  to  His  Messianic  work,  but  again 
at  the  beginning  of  His  Galilean  ministry,  which  dates 
from  the  time  when  John  was  cast  into  prison,  and 
once  again  as  the  stern  prophet  of  the  desert  finishes 
his  course ;  for  his  martyrdom  precipitates  a  crisis,  to 
which  events  for  some  time  have  been  tending. 

The  period  of  crisis,  embracing  the  facts  recorded 
in  the  two  chapters  following  and  in  part  of  the 
sixteenth,  is  marked  by  events  of  thrilling  interest. 
The  shadow  of  the  cross  falls  so  very  darkly  now  upon 
the  Saviour's  path,  that  we  may  look  for  some  more 
striking  effects  of  light  and  shade, — Rembrandt-like 
touches,  if  with  reverence  we  may  so  put  it, — in  the 
Evangelist's  picture.  Many  impressive  contrasts  will 
arrest  our  attention  as  we  proceed  to  touch  briefly  on 
the  story  of  the  time. 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  187 

I. — The  Banquet  of  Herod  and  the  Feast  of 
Christ  (xiv.  1-2 1). 

•  Among  them  that  are  born  of  woman  there  hath 
not  risen  a  greater  than  John  the  Baptist."  Such  was 
the  Saviour's  testimony  to  His  forerunner  in  the  hour 
of  his  weakness ;  and  the  sequel  fully  justified  it. 
The  answer  which  came  to  John's  inquiry  brought  him 
no  outward  relief.  His  prison  bolts  were  as  firmly 
fastened  as  before,  Herod  was  as  inexorable,  the  pro- 
spect before  Him  as  dark  as  ever;  but  he  had  the 
assurance  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  and  that  His 
blessed  work  of  healing  the  sick  and  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  poor  was  going  on ;  and  that  was  enough 
for  him.  So  he  was  quite  content  to  languish  on, 
resting  in  the  Lord  and  waiting  patiently  for  Him. 
We  learn  from  St.  Mark  that  Herod  was  in  the  habit 
of  sending  for  him  at  times,  evidently  interested  in  the 
strange  man,  probably  to  some  extent  fascinated  by 
him,  and  possibly  not  without  some  lingering  hope  that 
there  might  be  some  way  of  reconciling  the  preacher 
of  righteousness  and  securing  the  blessing  of  so  well- 
accredited  a  messenger  of  Heaven.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  at  these  times  the  way  was  open  for  John 
to  be  restored  to  liberty,  if  only  he  had  been  willing  to 
lower  his  testimony  against  Herod's  sin,  or  consent  to 
say  no  more  about  it ;  but  no  such  thought  ever  crossed 
his  noble  soul.  He  had  said,  "  It  is  not  lawful  for 
thee  to  have  her ; "  and  not  even  in  the  hour  of  deepest 
depression  and  darkest  doubt  did  he  for  a  moment 
relax  the  rigour  of  his  requirements  as  a  preacher  of 
righteousness. 

As  he  had  lived,  so  he  died.     We  shall  not  dwell  on 
the  details  of  the  revolting  story.     It  is  quite  realistic 


1 88  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

enough  in  the  simple  recital  of  the  Evangelist.  One 
cannot  help  recalling  in  this  connection  four  hideous 
pictures  of  Salome  with  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist 
recently  displayed,  all  on  the  line,  in  the  Salon  at  Paris. 
Of  what  possible  use  are  such  representations  ?  To 
what  sort  of  taste  do  they  minister?  There  was  no 
picture  of  John  looking  with  flashing  eyes  at  the  guilty 
monarch  as  he  said,  "It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  have 
her."  That  is  the  scene  which  is  worthy  of  remem- 
brance :  let  it  abide  in  the  memory  and  heart ;  let  the 
tragic  end  serve  only  as  a  dark  background  to  make 
the  central  figure  luminous,  "  a  burning  and  a  shining 
light." 

The  time  of  Herod's  merciful  visitation  is  over.  So 
long  as  he  kept  the  Baptist  safe  (Mark  vi.  19,  20) 
from  the  machinations  of  Herodias,  he  retained  one 
link  with  better  things.  The  stern  prisoner  was  to  him 
like  a  second  conscience ;  and  so  long  as  he  was  there 
within  easy  reach,  and  Herod  continued  from  time  to 
time  to  see  him  and  hear  what  he  had  to  say,  there 
remained  some  hope  of  repentance  and  reformation. 
Had  he  only  yielded  to  the  promptings  of  his  better 
nature,  and  obeyed  the  prophet,  the  way  of  the  Lord 
would  have  been  prepared,  the  preacher  of  righteous- 
ness would  have  been  followed  by  the  Prince  of  Peace ; 
and  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  with  all  its  unspeakable 
blessing,  would  have  had  free  course  in  his  court  and 
throughout  his  realm.  But  the  sacrifice  of  the  proph  .t 
to  the  cruelty  of  Herodias  and  the  folly  and  wickedness 
of  his  vow  put  an  end  to  such  prospects;  and  the 
fame  of  Christ's  deeds  of  mercy,  when  at  last  it  reached 
his  ears,  instead  of  stirring  in  him  a  living  hope, 
aroused  the  demon  of  a  guilty  conscience,  which  could 
not  rid  itself  of  the  superstitious  fear  that  it  was  John 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  189 

the  Baptist  risen  from  the  dead.  Thus  passed  away 
for  ever  the  great  opportunity  of  Herod  Antipas. 

The  disciples  of  John  withdrew  in  sorrow,  but  not 
in  despair.  They  had  evidently  caught  the  spirit  of 
their  master ;  for  as  soon  as  they  had  reverently  and 
lovingly  taken  up  the  mortal  remains  and  buried  them, 
they  came  and  told  Jesus. 

It  must  have  been  a  terrible  blow  to  Him, — perhaps 
even  more  than  it  was  to  them,  for  they  had  Him  to  go 
to,  while  He  had  none  on  earth  to  take  counsel  with : 
He  must  carry  the  heavy  burden  of  responsibility  all 
alone ;  for  even  the  most  advanced  of  the  Twelve  could 
not  enter  into  any  of  His  thoughts  and  purposes ;  and 
certainly  not  one  of  them,  we  might  indeed  say  not 
all  of  them  together,  had  at  this  time  anything  like 
the  strength  and  steadfastness  of  the  great  man  who 
had  just  been  taken  away.  We  learn  from  the  other 
accounts  that  at  the  same  time  the  Twelve  returned 
from  their  first  missionary  journey ;  so  that  the  question 
would  immediately  come  up,  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
It  was  a  critical  time.  Should  they  stir  up  the  people 
to  avenge  the  death  of  their  prophet  ?  This  would 
have  been  after  the  manner  of  men,  but  not  according 
to  the  counsel  of  God.  Long  ago  the  Saviour  had  set 
aside,  as  quite  apart  from  His  way  of  working,  all 
appeals  to  force ;  His  kingdom  must  be  a  kingdom  of 
the  truth,  and  on  the  truth  He  will  rely,  with  nothing 
else  to  trust  to  than  the  power  of  patient  love.  So  He 
takes  His  disciples  away  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake, 
outside  the  jurisdiction  of  Herod,  with  the  thoughtful 
invitation :  "  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert 
place,  and  rest  awhile." 

What  are  the  prospects  of  the  kingdom  now  ?  Sin 
and   righteousness    have   long    been   at   strife   in   the 


190  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

court  of  Galilee;  now  sin  has  conquered  and  has  the 
field.  The  great  preacher  of  righteousness  is  dead  ; 
and  the  Christ,  to  Whom  he  bore  such  faithful  witness, 
has  gone  to  the  desert.  Again  the  sad  prophecy  is 
fulfilled  :  "  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men  ;  a  man 
of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief."  That  little 
boat  crossing  from  the  populous  shores  of  Gennesarev 
to  the  desert  land  on  the  other  side — what  does  it 
mean  ?  Defeat  ?  A  lost  cause  ?  Is  this  the  end  of 
the  mission  in  Galilee,  begun  to  the  music  of  that 
majestic  prophecy  which  spoke  of  it  as  daybreak  on 
the  hills  and  shores  of  Naphtali  and  Zebulun,  Genne- 
saret  and  Jordan  ?  Is  this  the  outcome  of  two  mighty 
movements  so  full  of  promise  and  hope  ?  Did  not  all 
Jerusalem  and  Judaea  go  after  John,  confessing  their 
sins  and  accepting  his  baptism?  And  has  not  all 
Galilee  thronged  after  Jesus,  bringing  their  sick  to 
be  healed,  and  listening,  at  least  with  outward  respect 
and  often  expressed  astonishment,  to  His  words  of 
truth  and  hope?  Now  John  is  dead,  and  Jesus  is 
crossing  with  His  own  disciples  and  those  of  John  in 
a  boat — one  boat  enough  to  hold  them  all — to  mourn 
together  in  a  desert  place  apart.  Suppose  we  had 
been  sitting  on  the  shore  that  day,  and  had  watched  it 
getting  ever  smaller  as  it  crossed  the  sea,  what  should 
we  have  thought  of  the  prospects?  Should  we  have 
found  it  easy  to  believe  in  Christ  that  day  ?  Verily 
"the  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation." 

The  multitudes  will  not  believe  on  Him ;  yet  they 
will  not  let  Him  rest.  They  have  rejected  the  kingdom  ; 
but  they  would  fain  get  as  much  as  they  can  of  those 
earthly  blessings  which  have  been  scattered  so  freely 
as  its  signs.     So  the  people,  noticing  the  direction  the 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  191 

boat  has  taken,  throng  after  Him,  running  on  foot 
round  the  northern  shore.  When  Jesus  sees  them, 
sad  and  weary  as  He  is,  He  cannot  turn  away.  He 
knows  too  well  that  it  is  with  no  pure  and  lofty 
devotion  that  they  follow  Him  ;  but  He  cannot  see  a 
multitude  of  people  without  having  His  heart  moved 
with  a  great  longing  to  bless  them.  So  He  "  went 
forth,  and  healed  their  sick." 

He  continued  His  loving  work,  lavishing  His  sym- 
pathy on  those  who  had  no  sympathy  with  Him,  till 
evening  fell,  and  the  disciples  suggested  that  it  was 
time  to  send  the  people  away,  especially  as  they  were 
beginning  to  suffer  from  want  of  food.  "  But  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  They  need  not  depart :  give  ye  them 
to  eat.  And  they  say  unto  Him,  We  have  here  but 
five  loaves,  and  two  fishes.  He  said,  Bring  them 
hither  to  Me." 

The  miracle  which  follows  is  of  very  special  sig- 
nificance. Many  things  point  to  this.  (1)  It  is  the 
one  miracle  which  all  the  four  Evangelists  record.  (2) 
It  occurs  at  a  critical  time  in  our  Lord's  history. 
There  has  been  discouragement  after  discouragement, 
repulse  after  repulse,  despite  and  rejection  by  the 
leaders,  obstinate  unbelief  and  impenitence  on  the  part 
of  the  people,  the  good  seed  finding  almost  everywhere 
hard  or  shallow  or  thorny  soil,  with  little  or  no 
promise  of  the  longed-for  harvest.  And  now  a  crown- 
ing disaster  has  come  in  the  death  of  John.  Can  we 
wonder  that  Christ  received  the  tidings  of  it  as  a 
premonition  of  His  own  ?  Can  we  wonder  that  hence- 
forth He  should  give  less  attention  to  public  preaching, 
and  more  to  the  training  of  the  little  band  of  faithful 
disciples  who  must  be  prepared  for  days  of  darkness 
coming  on  apace— prepared  for  the  cross,  manifestly 


192  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

now  the  only  way  to  the  crown  ?  (3)  There  is  the 
significant  remark  (John  vi.  4)  that  "  the  Passover  was 
nigh."  This  was  the  last  Passover  but  one  of  our 
Saviour's  life.  The  next  was  to  be  marked  by  the 
sacrifice  of  Himself  as  "the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  Another  year,  and  He 
will  have  fulfilled  His  course,  as  John  has  fulfilled 
His.  Was  it  not,  then,  most  natural  that  His  mind 
should  be  full,  not  only  of  thoughts  of  the  approaching 
Passover,  but  also  of  what  the  next  one  must  bring. 
This  is  no  mere  conjecture;  for  it  plainly  appears 
in  the  long  and  most  suggestive  discourse  St.  John 
reports  as  following  immediately  upon  the  miracle 
and  designed  for  its  application. 

The  feeding  of  the  five  thousand  is  indeed  a  sign  of 
the  kingdom,  like  those  grouped  together  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  Gospel  (viii.,  ix).  It  showed  the  compas- 
sion of  the  Lord  upon  the  hungry  multitude,  and  His 
readiness  to  supply  their  wants.  It  showed  the  Lord- 
ship of  Christ  over  nature,  and  served  as  a  representa- 
tion in  miniature  of  what  the  God  of  nature  is  doing 
every  year,  when,  by  agencies  as  far  beyond  our  ken 
as  those  by  which  His  Son  multiplied  the  loaves  that 
day,  He  transmutes  the  handful  of  seed-corn  into  the 
rich  harvests  of  grain  which  feed  the  multitudes  of 
men.  It  taught  also,  by  implication,  that  the  same  God 
Who  feeds  the  bodies  of  men  with  the  rich  abundance 
of  the  year  is  able  and  willing  to  satisfy  all  their 
spiritual  wants.  But  there  is  something  more  than  all 
this,  as  we  might  gather  from  the  very  way  it  is  told : 
"  And  He  commanded  the  multitude  to  sit  down  on  the 
grass,  and  took  the  five  loaves,  .  .  .  and  looking  up  to 
heaven,  He  blessed,  and  brake,  and  gave  the  loaves  to 
the  disciples,  and  the  disciples  to  the  multitude."     Can 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE. 


»93 


we  read  these  words  without  thinking  of  what  our 
Saviour  did  just  a  year  later,  when  He  took  bread  and 
blessed  it,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  the  disciples  and 
said,  "Take,  eat,  this  is  My  body"  (xxvi.  26)?  He  is  not, 
indeed,  instituting  the  Supper  now;  but  it  is  very  plain 
that  the  same  thoughts  are  in  His  mind  as  when,  a  year 
later,  He  did  so.  And  what  might  be  inferred  from 
the  recital  of  what  He  did  becomes  still  more  evident 
when  we  are  told  what  afterwards  He  said — especially 
such  utterances  as  these:  "I  am  the  bread  of  life;" 
"  The  bread  which  I  will  give  you  is  My  flesh,  which 
I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world ; "  "  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man, 
and  drink  His  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you." 

We  have,  then,  here,  not  a  sign  of  the  kingdom  only, 
but  a  parable  of  life  eternal,  life  to  be  bestowed  in  no 
ether  way  than  by  the  death  to  be  accomplished  at 
Jerusalem  at  the  next  passover,  life  for  thousands,  life 
ministered  through  the  disciples  to  the  multitudes,  and 
not  diminished  in  the  ministering,  but  growing  and 
multiplying  in  their  hands,  so  that  after  all  are  fed 
there  remain  "  twelve  baskets  full," — far  more  than  at 
the  first :  a  beautiful  hint  of  the  abundance  that  will 
remain  for  the  Gentile  nations  of  the  earth.  That 
passover  parable  comes  out  of  the  anguish  of  the  great 
Redeemer's  heart.  Already,  as  He  breaks  that  bread 
and  gives  it  to  the  people,  He  is  enduring  the  cross 
and  despising  the  shame  of  it,  for  the  joy  set  before 
Him  of  giving  the  bread  of  life  to  a  hungry  world. 

One  can  scarcely  fail  at  this  point  to  contrast  the  feast 
in  honour  of  Herod's  birthday  with  the  feast  which 
symbolised  the  Saviour's  death.  '*  When  a  convenient 
day  was  come,  Herod  on  his  birthday  made  a  supper 

13 


194  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

to  his  lords,  high  captains,  and  chief  estates  of  Galilee ; 

and- "  the  rest  is  well  known, — the  feasting,  mirth 

and  revelry,  ending  in  the  dark  tragedy,  followed  by 
the  remorse  of  a  guilty  conscience,  the  gnawing  of  the 
worm  that  dieth  not,  the  burning  of  the  fire  that  is  not 
quenched.  Then  think  of  that  other  feast  on  the  green 
grass  in  the  pure  air  of  the  fresh  and  breezy  hillside — 
the  hungry  multitudes,  the  homely  fare,  the  few  barley 
loaves  and  the  two  small  fishes ;  yet  by  the  blessing  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  there  was  provided  a  repast  far  more 
enjoyable  to  these  keen  appetites  than  all  the  delicacies 
of  the  banquet  to  the  lords  of  Galilee — a  feast  pointing 
indeed  to  a  death,  but  a  death  which  was  to  bring 
life  and  peace  and  joy  to  thousands,  with  abundance 
over  for  all  who  will  receive  it.  The  one  is  the  feast 
to  which  the  world  invites ;  the  other  is  the  feast 
which  Christ  provides  for  all  who  are  willing  to  "  labour 
not  for  the  meat  that  perisheth,  but  for  that  which 
endureth  unto  eternal  life." 

II. — Calm  on  the  Mountain  and  Trouble  on  the 
Sea. 

We  learn  from  the  fourth  Gospel  that  the  immediate 
result  of  the  impression  made  by  our  Lord's  miraculous 
feeding  of  the  five  thousand  was  an  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  people  to  take  Him  by  force  and  make  Him 
a  king.  Thus,  as  always,  their  minds  would  run  on 
political  change,  and  the  hope  of  bettering  their  circum- 
stances thereby  ;  while  they  refused  to  allow  themselves 
to  think  of  that  spiritual  change  which  must  begin  with 
themselves,  and  show  itself  in  that  repentance  and 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  which  He  so 
longed  to  see  in  them.  Even  His  disciples,  as  we  know, 
were  not  now,  nor  for  a  long  time  subsequent  to  this. 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  195 

altogether  free  from  the  same  spirit  of  earthliness  ;  and 
it  is  quite  likely  that  the  general  enthusiasm  would 
excite  them  not  a  little,  and  perhaps  lead  them  to  raise 
the  question,  as  they  were  often  fain  to  do,  whether 
the  time  had  not  at  last  come  for  their  Master  to  declare 
Himself  openly,  put  Himself  at  the  head  of  these 
thousands,  take  advantage  of  the  widespread  feeling  of 
irritation  and  discontent  awakened  by  the  murder  of 
John  the  Baptist,  whom  all  men  counted  for  a  prophet 
(Mark  xi.  32),  hurl  Herod  Antipas  from  the  high  position 
he  disgraced,  and,  with  all  Galilee  under  His  control 
and  full  of  enthusiasm  for  His  cause,  march  southward 
on  Jerusalem.  This  was  no  doubt  the  course  of  action 
they  for  the  most  part  expected  and  wished ;  and,  with 
One  at  their  head  Who  could  do  such  wonders,  what 
was  there  to  hinder  complete  success  ? 

May  we  not  also  with  reverence  suppose  that  th 
was  one  of  the  occasions  on  which  Satan  renewed  those 
assaults  which  he  began  in  the  wilderness  of  Judaea  ? 
A  little  later,  when  Peter  was  trying  to  turn  Him  aside 
from  the  path  of  the  Cross,  Jesus  recognised  it,  not 
merely  as  a  suggestion  of  the  disciple,  but  as  a  renewed 
temptation  of  the  great  adversary.  We  may  well  sup- 
pose, then,  that  at  this  crisis  the  old  temptation  to  bestow 
on  Him  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory  of  them 
— not  for  their  own  sake,  of  course  (there  could  have 
been  no  temptation  in  that  direction),  but  for  the  sake 
of  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom  by  the  use  of  worldly  methods  of  policy  and 
force — was  presented  to  Him  with  peculiar  strength. 

However  this  may  have  been,  the  circumstances 
required  prompt  action  of  some  kind.  It  was  necessary 
that  the  disciples  should  be  got  out  of  reach  of  tempta- 
tion as  soon  as  possible;  so  He  constrsined  them  to 


196  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

enter  into  a  boat,  and  go  before  Him  to  the  other  side, 
while  He  dispersed  the  multitude.  And  need  we 
wonder  that  in  the  circumstances  He  should  wish  to 
be  entirely  alone  ?  He  could  not  consult  with  those 
He  trusted  most,  for  they  were  quite  in  the  dark,  and 
anything  they  were  at  all  likely  to  say  would  only 
increase  the  pressure  put  upon  Him  by  the  people. 
He  had  only  One  for  His  Counsellor  and  Comforter, 
His  Father  in  heaven,  Whose  will  He  had  come  to  do  ; 
so  He  must  be  alone  with  Him.  He  must  have  been 
in  a  state  of  great  physical  exhaustion  after  all  the 
fatigue  of  the  day,  for  though  He  had  come  for  rest  He 
had  found  none;  but  the  brave,  strong  spirit  conquers  the 
weary  flesh,  and  instead  of  going  to  sleep  He  ascends 
the  neighbouring  height  to  spend  the  night  in  prayer. 

It  is  interesting  to  remember  that  it  was  after  this 
night  spent  in  prayer  that  He  delivered  the  remarkable 
discourse  recorded  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  St.  John,  in 
which  He  speaks  so  plainly  about  giving  His  flesh  for 
the  life  of  the  world.  It  is  evident,  then,  that,  if  any 
question  had  arisen  in  His  mind  as  to  the  path  of  duty, 
when  He  was  suddenly  confronted  with  the  enthusiastic 
desire  of  the  multitudes  to  crown  Him  at  once,  it  was 
speedily  set  at  rest :  He  now  plainly  saw  that  it  was 
not  the  will  of  His  Father  in  heaven  that  He  should 
take  advantage  of  any  such  stirring  of  worldly  desire, 
that  He  must  give  no  encouragement  to  any,  except 
those  who  were  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteous- 
ness, to  range  themselves  upon  His  side.  Hence,  no 
doubt,  the  sifting  nature  of  the  discourse  He  delivered 
the  following  day.  He  is  eager  to  gather  the  multitudes 
to  Himself;  but  He  cannot  allow  them  to  come  under 
any  false  assumption ; — Hemust  have  spiritually-minded 
disciples,  or  none  at  all :  accordingly  He  makes  His 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  197 

discourse  so  strongly  spiritual,  directs  their  attention 
so  far  away  from  earthly  issues  to  the  issues  of  eternity 
("  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day  "  is  the  promise 
He  gives  over  and  over  again,  whereas  they  wanted 
to  be  raised  up  then  and  there  to  high  places  in  the 
world),  that  not  only  did  the  multitude  lose  all  their 
enthusiasm,  but  "  from  that  time  many  of  His  disciples 
went  back,  and  walked  no  more  with  Him,"  while  even 
the  Twelve  themselves  were  shaken  in  their  allegiance, 
as  seems  evident  from  the  sorrowful  question  with 
which  He  turned  to  them:  "Will  ye  also  go  away?" 
We  may  reverently  suppose,  then,  that  our  Lord  was 
occupied,  during  the  early  part  of  the  night,  with 
thoughts  like  these — in  preparation,  as  it  were,  for  the 
faithful  words  He  will  speak  and  the  sad  duty  He  will 
discharge  on  the  morrow. 

Meantime  a  storm  has  arisen  on  the  lake-  one  of 
those  sudden  and  often  terrible  squalls  to  which  inland 
wraters  everywhere  are  subject,  but  which  are  greatly 
aggravated  here  by  the  contrast  between  the  tropical 
climate  of  the  lake,  620  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
Mediterranean,  and  the  cool  air  on  the  heights  which 
surround  it.  The  storm  becomes  fiercer  as  the  night 
advances.  The  Saviour  has  been  much  absorbed,  but 
He  cannot  fail  to  notice  how  angry  the  lake  is  becoming, 
and  to  what  peril  His  loved  disciples  are  exposed. 
As  the  Passover  was  nigh,  the  moon  would  be  nearly 
full,  and  there  would  be  frequent  opportunities,  between 
the  passing  of  the  clouds,  to  watch  the  little  boat.  As 
long  as  there  seems  any  prospect  of  their  weathering 
the  storm  by  their  own  exertions  He  leaves  them  to 
themselves ;  but  when  it  appears  that  they  are  making 
no  progress,  though  it  is  evident  that  they  are  "toiling 
in  rowing,"  He  sets  out  at  once  to  their  relief. 


198  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

The  rescue  which  follows  recalls  a  former  incident 
on  the   same   lake    (viii.    23-27).     But   the  points    of 
difference  are  both  important  and  instructive.     Then 
He  was  with  His  disciples  in  the  ship,  though  asleep ; 
in  their  extremity  they  had  only  to  rouse  Him  with  the 
cry,  "  Save,  Lord,  or  we  perish  ! "  to  secure  immediate 
calm  and  safety.     Now  He  was  not  with  them  ;  He  was 
out  of  sight,  and  beyond  the  reach  even  of  the  most 
piercing  cries.     It  was  therefore  a  much  severer  trial 
than   the   last;   and,   remembering  the  special  signifi- 
cance of  the  miracle  of  the  loaves,  we  can  scarcely  fail 
to  notice  a  corresponding  suggestiveness  in  this  one. 
That  one  had  dimly  foreshadowed  His  death  ;  did  not 
this,  in  the  same  way,  foreshadow  the  relations  He  would 
sustain  to  His  disciples  after  His  death  ?     May  we  not 
look  upon  His  ascent  of  this  mountain  as  a  picture  of 
His  ascension  into  heaven — His  betaking  Himself  to 
His    Father   now  as   a  shadow  of   His  going   to  the 
Father  then — His  prayer  on  the  mount  as  a  shadow  of 
His  heavenly  intercession?     It  was   to  pray  that  He 
ascended;  and   though  He,  no  doubt,  needed,  at  that 
trying  time,  to  pray  for  Himself,  His  heart  would  be 
poured  out  in  pleading  for  His  disciples  too,  especially 
when  the  storm   came  on.     And  these  disciples  con- 
strained to  go  off  in  a  boat  by  themselves, — are  they  not 
a  picture  of  the  Church  after  Christ  had  gone  to  His 
Father,   launched   on  the   stormy  sea   of  the   world  ? 
What  will  they  do  without  Him  ?     What  will  they  do 
when  the  winds  rise  and  the  waves  roar  in  the  dark 
night  ?     Oh  !  if  only  He  were  here,  Who  was  sleeping 
in  the  boat  that  day,  and  only  needed  to  be  roused  to 
sympathise  and  save  !     Where  is  He  now  ?     There  on 
the  hilltop,  interceding,    looking  down  with  tenderest 
compassion,  watching  every  effort  of  the  toiling  rowers 


xiv.-xvi  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  199 

Nay,  He  is  nearer  still !  See  that  Form  upon  the  waves  ! 
"  It  is  a  spirit,"  they  cry ;  and  are  afraid,  very  much 
as,  a  little  more  than  a  year  afterward,  when  He  came 
suddenly  into  the  midst  of  them  with  His  "  Peace  be 
unto  you,"  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and 
supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit  (Luke  xxiv.  37). 
But  presently  they  hear  the  familiar  voice:  "Be  of  good 
cheer  :  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid."  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  remembrance  of  that  night  on  the  lake  of 
Galilee  would  be  a  wondrous  consolation  to  these 
disciples  during  the  storms  of  persecution  through 
which  they  had  to  pass  after  their  Master  had  ascended 
up  to  heaven  ;  and  their  faith  in  the  presence  of  His 
Spirit,  and  His  constant  readiness  to  help  and  save, 
would  be  greatly  strengthened  by  the  memory  of  that 
apparently  spectral  Form  they  had  seen  coming  across 
the  troubled  sea  to  their  relief.  Have  we  not  some 
reason,  then,  for  saying  that  here,  too,  we  have  not  only 
another  of  the  many  signs  of  the  kingdom  showing  our 
Lord's  power  over  nature  and  constant  readiness  to 
help  His  people  in  time  of  need,  but  a  parable  of  the 
future,  most  appropriately  following  that  parable  of 
life  through  death  set  forth  in  the  feeding  of  the 
thousands  on  the  day  before  ? 

There  seems,  in  fact,  a  strange  prophetic  element 
running  all  through  the  scenes  of  that  wondrous  time, 
We  have  already  referred  to  the  disposition  on  the 
part  even  of  the  Twelve,  as  manifested  next  day  at  the 
close  of  the  discourse  on  the  "  bread  of  life,"  to  desert 
Him — to  show  the  same  spirit  which  afterward,  when 
the  crisis  reached  its  height,  so  demoralised  them  that 
"  the}7  all  forsook  Him,  and  fled  " ;  and  have  we  not, 
in  the  closing  incident,  in  which  Peter  figures  so 
conspicuously,  a  mild  foreshadowing  of  his  terrible  fall, 


200  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

when  the  storm  of  human  passion  was  raging  as  fiercely 
in  Jerusalem  as  did  the  winds  and  waves  on  the  lake 
of  Galilee  that  night  ?  There  is  the  same  self-con- 
fidence :  "  Lord,  if  it  be  Thou,  bid  me  come  unto  Thee 
on  the  water ; "  the  same  alarm  when  he  was  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  danger  the  thought  of  which  he 
had  braved ;  then  the  sinking,  sinking  as  if  about  to 
perish,  yet  not  hopelessly  (for  the  Master  had  prayed 
for  him  that  his  faith  should  not  fail)  ;  then  the  humble 
prayer,  "  Lord,  save  me  "  ;  and  the  gracious  hand  im- 
mediately stretched  out  to  save.  Had  the  adventurous 
disciple  learnt  his  lesson  well  that  day,  what  it  would 
have  saved  him  !  May  we  not  say  that  there  is  never  a 
great  and  terrible  fall,  however  sudden  it  seems,  which 
has  not  been  preceded  by  warnings,  even  long  before, 
wThich,  if  heeded,  would  have  certainly  averted  it? 
How  much  need  have  the  disciples  of  Christ  to  learn 
thoroughly  the  lessons  their  Lord  teaches  them  in  His 
gentler  dealings,  so  that  when  darker  days  and  heavier 
trials  come  they  may  be  ready,  having  taken  unto 
themselves  the  whole  armour  of  God,  to  withstand  in 
the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand. 

There  are  many  other  important  lessons  which 
might  be  learnt  from  this  incident,  but  we  may  not 
dwell  on  them  ;  a  mere  enumeration  of  some  of  them 
may,  however,  be  attempted.  It  was  faith,  in  part,  at 
least,  which  led  the  apostle  to  make  this  venture ;  and 
this  is,  no  doubt,  the  reason  why  the  Lord  did  not 
forbid  it.  Faith  is  too  precious  to  be  repressed ;  but 
the  faith  of  Peter  on  this  occasion  is  anything  but 
simple,  clear  and  strong  :  there  is  a  large  measure  of 
self-will  in  it,  of  impulsiveness,  of  self-confidence,  per- 
haps of  love  of  display.  A  confused  and  encumbered 
faith  of  this  kind  is  sure  to  lead  into  mischief, — to  set 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  aoi 

on  foot  rash  enterprises,  which  show  great  enthusiasm, 
and  perhaps  seem  to  rebuke  the  caution  of  the  less 
confident  for  the  time,  but  which  come  to  grief,  and 
in  the  end  bring  no  credit  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 
The  rash  disciple's  enterprise  is  not,  however,  an  entire 
failure  :  he  does  succeed  so  far ;  but  presently  the  weak- 
ness of  his  faith  betrays  itself.  As  long  as  the  impulse 
lasted,  and  his  eye  was  fixed  on  his  Master,  all  went 
well ;  but  when  the  first  burst  of  enthusiasm  was  spent, 
and  he  had  time  to  look  round  upon  the  waves,  he 
began  to  sink.  But  how  encouraging  it  is  to  observe 
that,  when  put  to  extremity,  that  which  is  genuine  in 
the  man  carries  it  over  all  the  rest ! — the  faith  which  had 
been  encumbered  extricates  itself,  and  becomes  simple, 
clear  and  strong ;  the  last  atom  of  self-confidence  is 
gone,  and  with  it  all  thought  of  display ;  nothing  but 
simple  faith  is  left  in  that  strong  cry  of  his,  "  Lord,  save 
me!" 

Nothing  could  be  imagined  better  suited  than  this 
incident  to  discriminate  between  self-confidence  and 
faith.  Peter  enters  on  this  experience  with  the  two 
well  mixed  together, — so  well  mixed,  that  neither  he 
himself  nor  his  fellow-disciples  could  distinguish  them ; 
but  the  testir  g  process  precipitates  one  and  clarifies  the 
other, — lets  the  self-confidence  all  go,  and  brings  out 
the  faith  pure  and  strong.  Immediately,  therefore, 
his  Lord  is  at  his  side,  and  he  is  safe  ; — a  great 
lesson  this  on  faith,  especially  in  revealing  its  simpli- 
city. Peter  tried  to  make  a  grand  thing  of  it :  he  had 
to  come  back  to  the  simple,  humble  cry,  and  the 
grasping  of  his  Saviour's  outstretched  hand. 

The  same  lesson  is  taught  on  a  larger  scale  in  th< 
brief  account  of  the  cures  the  Master  wrought  when  the\ 
reached  the  other  side,  where  all  that  was  asked  was* 


202  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

the  privilege  of  touching  His  garment's  hem,  "  and  as 
many  as  touched  were  made  perfectly  whole  ;  "  not  the 
great  ones,  not  the  strong  ones,  but  "as  many  as 
touched."  Only  let  us  keep  in  touch  with  Him,  and 
all  will  assuredly  be  well  with  us  both  in  time  and 
in  eternity. 

Ilk — Israel  after  the  Flesh,  and  Israel  after 
the  Spirit  (xv.). 

Issue  is  now  joined  with  the  ecclesiastical  leaders  at 
Jerusalem,  who  send  a  deputation  to  make  a  formal 
complaint.  When  Jerusalem  was  last  mentioned  in  our 
Gospel,  it  was  in  connection  with  a  movement  of  quite 
a  different  character.  The  fame  of  the  Saviour's  deeds 
of  mercy  in  Galilee  had  then  just  reached  the  capital, 
the  result  being  that  many  set  out  at  once  to  find  out 
what  new  thing  this  might  be :  "  There  followed  Him 
great  multitudes  of  people  from  Galilee,  and  from 
Decapolis,  and  from  Jerusalem,  and  from  Judaea,  and 
from  beyond  Jordan"  (iv.  25).  That  wave  of  interest 
in  the  south  had  now  died  down ;  and  instead  of 
eager  multitudes  there  is  a  small  sinister  band  of 
cold,  keen-witted,  hard-hearted  critics.  It  was  a  sad 
change,  and  must  have  brought  new  distress  to  the 
Saviour's  troubled  heart;  but  He  is  none  the  less 
ready  to  face  the  trial  with  His  wonted  courage  and 
unfailing  readiness  of  resource. 

Their  complaint  is  trivial  enough.  It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered, of  course,  that  it  was  not  a  question  of  cleanliness, 
but  of  ritual ;  not  even  of  ritual  appointed  by  Moses, 
but  only  of  that  prescribed  by  certain  traditions  of  their 
fathers  which  they  held  in  superstitious  veneration. 
These  traditions,  by  a  multitude  of  minute  regulations 
and  restrictions,  imposed  an  intolerable  burden  on  those 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  203 

who  thought  it  their  duty  to  observe  them ;  while  the 
magnifying  of  trifles  had  the  natural  effect  of  keeping 
out  of  sight  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law.  Not 
only  so,  but  the  most  trivial  regulations  were  sometimes 
so  managed  as  to  furnish  an  excuse  for  neglect  of 
the  plainest  duties.  Our  Lord  could  not  therefore 
miss  the  opportunity  of  denouncing  this  evil,  and 
accordingly  He  exposes  it  in  the  plainest  and  strongest 
language. 

The  question  with  which  He  opens  His  attack  is 
most  incisive.  It  is  as  if  He  said,  M  I  am  accused  of 
transgressing  your  tradition.  What  is  your  tradition  ? 
It  is  itself  transgression  of  the  law  of  God."  Then 
follows  the  striking  illustration,  showing  how  by  their 
rules  of  tradition  they  put  it  within  the  power  of 
any  heartless  son  to  escape  entirely  the  obligation 
of  providing  even  for  his  aged  father  or  mother — an 
illustration,  be  it  remembered,  which  brought  out  more 
than  a  breach  of  the  fifth  commandment ;  for  by  what 
means  was  it  that  the  ungrateful  son  escaped  his  obli- 
gation ?  By  taking  the  name  of  the  Lord  in  vain ;  for 
surely  there  could  be  no  greater  dishonour  to  the  name 
of  God  than  meanly  to  mark  as  dedicated  to  Him 
(Corban)  what  ought  to  have  been  devoted  to  the 
discharge  of  an  imperative  filial  duty.  Besides,  it  was 
not  at  all  necessary  that  the  money  or  property  should 
be  actually  dedicated  to  sacred  uses ;  it  was  only  neces- 
sary to  say  that  it  was,  only  necessary  to  pronounce 
over  it  that  magic  word  Corban,  and  then  the  mean 
hypocrite  could  use  it  for  the  most  selfish  purposes — for 
any  purpose,  in  fact,  he  chose,  except  that  purpose  for 
which  it  was  his  duty  to  use  it.  It  is  really  difficult  to 
conceive  such  iniquity  wrapped  up  in  a  cloak  of  so-called 
religion.     No  wonder  our  Lord  was  moved  to  indigna* 


204  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


tion,  and  applied  to  His  critics  the  strong  language  of 
the  prophet :  "  Ye  hypocrites,  well  did  Isaiah  prophesy 
of  you,  saying,  This  people  honoureth  Me  with  their 
lips ;  but  their  heart  is  far  from  Me,  .  .  .  teaching  as 
their  doctrines  the  precepts  of  men  "  (R.  V.).  No  wonder 
that  He  turned  away  from  men  who  were  so  deeply 
committed  to  a  system  so  vile,  and  that  He  explained, 
not  to  His  questioners,  but  to  the  multitude  who  had 
gathered  round,  the  principle  on  which  He  acted. 

There  seems,  however,  to  have  been  more  of  sorrow 
than  of  anger  in  His  tone  and  manner.  How  else 
could  the  disciples  have  asked  Him  such  a  question  as 
that  which  follows  :  "  Knowest  thou  that  the  Pharisees 
were  offended,  after  they  heard  this  saying  ? "  Of 
course  the  Pharisees  were  offended.  They  had  most 
excellent  reason.  And  the  disciples  would  have  known 
that  He  had  no  intention  of  sparing  them  in  the  least, 
and  no  concern  whether  they  took  offence  or  not,  if 
His  tone  had  been  such  as  an  ordinary  person  would 
naturally  have  put  into  such  an  invective.  It  is  pro- 
bable that  he  said  it  all  calmly,  earnestly,  tenderly, 
without  the  slightest  trace  of  passion  ;  from  which  it 
would  not  be  at  all  unnatural  for  the  disciples  to  infer 
that  He  had  not  fully  realised  how  strong  His  language 
had  been,  and  into  what  serious  collision  He  had 
brought  Himself  with  the  leaders  in  Jerusalem.  Hence 
their  gentle  remonstrance,  the  expression  of  those 
feelings  of  dismay  with  which  they  saw  their  Master 
break  with  one  party  after  another,  as  if  determined  to 
wreck  His  mission  altogether.  Was  it  not  b?d  policy 
to  give  serious  offence  to  persons  of  such  importance  at 
so  critical  a  time  ? 

The  Saviour's  answer  is  just  what  was  to  be  expected. 
Pdicy  had  no  place  in  His  plan.      His  kingdom  was  of 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  205 

the  truth ;  and  whatever  was  not  of  truth  must  go,  be 
the  consequences  what  they  might.  That  system  of 
traditionalism  had  its  roots  deeply  and  firmly  fastened 
in  the  Jewish  soil ;  its  fibres  were  through  it  all ;  and 
to  disturb  it  was  to  go  against  a  feeling  that  was  no- 
thing less  than  national  in  its  extent.  But  no  matter : 
firmly,  deeply,  widely  rooted  though  it  was,  it  was  not 
of  God's  planting,  and  therefore  it  cannot  be  let  alone : 
"Every  plant,  which  My  heavenly  Father  hath  not 
planted,  shall  be  rooted  up."  It  is  for  all  ritualists, 
ancient  and  modern,  all  who  teach  for  doctrines  what 
are  only  commandments  of  men,  seriously  to  ponder  this 
most  radical  utterance  by  One  Whose  right  it  is  to  speak 
with  an  authority  from  which  there  is  no  appeal. 

Having  thus  condemned  the  ritualistic  teaching  of 
the  day,  He  disposes  next  of  the  false  teachers.  This 
He  does  in  a  way  which  ought  to  have  been  a  warning 
to  those  persecutors  and  heresy-hunters  who,  by  their 
unwise  use  of  force  and  law,  have  given  only  larger 
currency  to  the  evil  doctrines  they  have  tried  to  sup- 
press. He  simply  says  "Let  them  alone:  they  be 
blind  leaders  of  the  blind.  And  if  the  blind  lead  the 
blind,  both  shall  fall  into  the  ditch."  Expose  their 
error  by  all  means ;  root  it  out,  if  possible ;  but  as 
for  the  men  themselves,   "let  them  alone." 

The  principle  He  sets  forth  as  underlying  the  whole 
subject  is  the  same  as  that  which  underlies  His  teach- 
ing in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount — viz.,  that  "  out  of  the 
heart  are  the  issues  of  life."  The  ritualist  lays  stress 
on  that  which  enters  into  the  man — the  kind  of  food 
which  enters  his  mouth,  the  objects  which  meet  his  eye, 
the  incense  which  enters  his  nostril ;  Christ  sets  all 
this  aside  as  of  no  consequence  in  comparison  with 
the  s' ate  of  the  heart  (vv.   16-20).      Such  teaching  as 


2o6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

this  was  not  only  irreconcilable  with  that  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  from  Jerusalem,  but  it  lay  at  the 
very  opposite  pole. 

Was  it  on  this  account  that  after  this  interview  Jesus 
withdrew  as  far  as  possible  from  Jerusalem  ?  He  is 
limited,  indeed,  in  His  range  to  the  Holy  Land,  as  He 
indicates  in  His  conversation  with  the  woman  of  Canaan; 
but  just  as  after  the  death  of  John  He  had  withdrawn 
out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Herod  to  the  east,  so  now, 
after  this  collision  with  the  deputation  from  Jerusalem, 
He  withdraws  to  the  far  north,  to  the  borders  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon.  And  was  it  only  a  coincidence  that,  just  as 
Jerusalem  had  furnished  such  sorry  specimens  of  dead 
formalism,  the  distant  borders  of  heathen  Tyre  and 
Sidon  should  immediately  thereafter  furnish  one  of  the 
very  noblest  examples  of  living  faith  ?  The  coinci- 
dence is  certainly  very  striking  and  most  instructive. 
The  leaders  from  Jerusalem  had  been  dismissed  with 
the  condemnation  of  their  own  prophet :  "  This  people 
honoureth  Me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from 
Me ; "  while  out  of  far-away  heathendom  there  comes 
one  whose  whole  heart  is  poured  out  to  Him  in  earnest, 
persevering,  prevailing  prayer.  It  is  one  of  those  con- 
trasts with  which  this  portion  of  our  Lord's  history 
abounds,  the  force  of  which  will  appear  more  clearly  as 
we  proceed. 

The  suppliant  was  u  a  woman  of  Canaan/'  or,  as  she 
is  described  more  definitely  elsewhere,  a  Syro-Phcenician 
woman.  Yet  she  has  learned  of  Jesus — knows  Him  as 
the  Christ,  for  she  calls  Him  "Son  of  David" — knows 
Him  as  a  Saviour,  for  she  comes  to  ask  that  her 
daughter  may  be  healed.  Her  application  must  have 
been  a  great  solace  to  His  wounded  heart.     He  always 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  207 

loved  to  be  asked  for  such  blessings ;  and,  rejected  as 
He  had  been  by  His  countrymen,  it  must  have  been 
a  special  encouragement  to  be  approached  in  this  way 
by  a  stranger.  That  it  was  so  may  be  inferred  from 
what  He  said  on  similar  occasions.  When  the  Roman 
centurion  came  to  have  his  servant  healed,  Jesus  com- 
mended his  wonderful  faith,  and  then  added  :  "  I  say 
unto  you,  That  many  shall  come  from  the  east  and 
west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  So,  too,  when 
it  was  announced  to  Him  that  some  Greeks  desired  to 
see  Him,  the  first  effect  was  to  sharpen  the  agony  of 
His  rejection  by  His  own  countrymen  ;  but  immediately 
He  recovers  Himself,  looks  beyond  the  cross  and  the 
shame  to  the  glory  that  shall  follow,  and  exclaims,  "  I, 
if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto 
Me."  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  at  this  time  of  rejec- 
tion in  Galilee  it  must  have  been  a  similar  consolation 
to  receive  this  visit  from  the  woman  of  Canaan. 

How,  then,  can  we  explain  His  treatment  of  her? 
First,  He  answered  her  not  a  word.  Then  He 
reminded  her  that  she  did  not  belong  to  Israel,  as  if 
she  therefore  could  have  no  claim  on  Him.  And  when 
she  still  urged  her  suit,  in  a  manner  that  might  have 
appealed  to  the  hardest  heart,  He  gave  her  an  answer 
which  seems  so  incredibly  harsh,  that  it  is  with  a 
feeling  of  pain  one  hears  it  repeated  after  eighteen 
hundred  years.  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  It  means 
"praise  and  honour  and  glory"  for  the  poor  woman; 
for  the  disciples,  and  for  all  disciples,  a  lesson  never  to 
be  forgotten.  He  Who  knew  what  was  in  man,  knew 
what  was  in  this  noble  woman's  heart,  and  He  wished  to 
bring  it  out — to  bring  it  out  so  that  the  disciples  should 
see   it,   so   that  other  disciples  should  see   it,  so  that 


208  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

generation  after  generation  and  century  after  century 
should  see  it,  and  admire  it,  and  learn  its  lesson.  It 
cost  her  some  minutes'  pain  :  Him  also, — how  it  must 
have  wrung  His  heart  to  treat  her  in  a  way  so  foreign 
to  every  fibre  of  His  soul !  But  had  He  not  so  dealt 
with  her,  what  a  loss  to  her,  to  the  disciples,  to 
countless  multitudes  !  He  very  much  needs  a  shining 
example  of  living  faith  to  set  over  against  the  dead 
formalism  of  these  traditionalists ;  and  here  it  is  :  He 
must  bring  it  out  of  its  obscurity,  and  set  it  as  a  star 
in  the  firmament  of  His  gospel,  to  shine  for  ever  and 
ever.  He  tested  her  to  the  uttermost,  because  He 
knew  that  at  the  end  of  all  He  could  say :  "  O  woman, 
great  is  thy  faith  :  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt." 
The  heart  of  the  Saviour  was  never  filled  with  a 
deeper  tenderness  or  a  wiser  and  more  far-seeing  love 
than  when  He  repulsed  this  woman  again  and  again, 
and  treated  her  with  what  seemed  at  the  moment 
most  inexcusable  and  unaccountable  harshness. 

The  lessons  which  shine  out  in  the  simple  story  of  this 
woman  can  only  be  touched  in  the  slightest  manner. 
We  have  already  referred  to  the  contrast  between 
the  great  men  of  Jerusalem  and  this  poor  woman  of 
Canaan ;  observe  now  how  strikingly  is  suggested 
the  distinction  between  Israel  according  to  the  flesh 
and  Israel  according  to  the  spirit.  The  current  idea 
of  the  time  was  that  lineal  descent  from  Abraham 
determined  who  belonged  to  the  house  of  Israel  and 
who  did  not.  The  Saviour  strikes  at  the  root  of  this 
error.  He  does  not  indeed  attack  it  directly.  For  this 
the  time  has  not  yet  come :  the  veil  of  the  Temple  has 
not  yet  been  rent  in  twain.  But  He  draws  aside  the 
veil  a  little,  so  as  to  give  a  glimpse  of  the  truth  and 
prepare  the  way  for  its  full  revealing  when  the  time 


dv.-xvi.  12.]  THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  209 

shall  come.  He  does  not  broadly  say,  u  This  woman 
of  Canaan  is  as  good  an  Israelite  as  any  of  you ; "  but 
He  says,  "  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel" — and  heals  her  daughter  notwithstand- 
ing. Was  it  not,  then,  evident  that  this  poor  woman 
after  all  did  in  some  sense  belong  to  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  house  of  Israel  whom  Jesus  came  to  save  ? 

The  house  of  Israel  ? — what  does  Israel  mean  ? 
Learn  at  Peniel.  See  Jacob  in  sore  distress  at  the 
brook  Jabbok.  A  man  is  wrestling  with  him, — wrestling 
with  him  all  the  night,  until  the  break  of  day.  It  is  no 
mere  man,  for  Jacob  finds  before  all  is  over  that  he  has 
been  face  to  face  with  God.  The  man  who  wrestled 
with  him  indeed  was  the  same  as  He  Who  wrestled  with 
this  woman  of  Canaan.  The  Divine  Man  struggles  to 
get  away  without  blessing  the  patriarch.  Jacob  cries, 
in  the  very  desperation  of  his  faith,  "  I  will  not  let  Thee 
go,  except  Thou  bless  me  I "  The  victory  is  won. 
The  blessing  is  granted,  and  these  words  are  added  : 
"What  is  thy  name?"  " Jacob."  "Thy  name 
shall  be  called  no  more  Jacob,  but  Israel"  {i.e.  prince 
with  God) :  "  for  as  a  prince  hast  thou  power  with 
God  and  with  men,  and  hast  prevailed." 

Was  this  woman,  then,  or  was  she  not,  "  a  prince  " 
with  God  ?  Did  she,  or  did  she  not,  belong  to  the 
true  house  of  Israel  ?  Let  us  now  look  back  to 
vv.  8  and  9 :  u  This  people  "  (i.e.  the  children  of  Israel 
according  to  the  flesh)  .  .  .  "honoureth  Me  with 
their  lips;  but  their  heart  is  far  from  Me.  But  in 
vain  they  do  worship  Me."  In  vain  do  they  worship  : 
are  they,  then,  princes  with  God  ?  Nay,  verily ;  they 
are  only  actors  before  Him,  as  the  Saviour  plainly 
says.  Truly  they  are  not  all  Israel  who  are  oi 
Israel ;  and  just  as  truly  they  are  not  the  only  Israel 


210  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

who  are  of  Israel,  for  here  is  this  woman  of  Canaan 
who  earns  the  name  of  Israel  by  as  hard  a  contest 
and  as  great  a  victory  as  that  of  Jacob  at  the  brook 
Jabbok,  when  first  the  name  was  given. 

Another  instructive  contrast  is  inevitably  suggested 
between  the  foremost  of  the  apostles  and  this  name- 
less woman  of  Canaan.  The  last  illustration  of  faith 
was  Peter's  venture  on  the  water.  What  a  difference 
between  the  strong  man  and  the  weak  woman  !  To 
the  strong,  brave  man  the  Master  had  to  say  "  O  thou 
of  little  faith  !  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt  ?  "  To  the 
weak  woman,  "O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith."  What 
an  encouragement  here  to  the  little  ones,  the  obscure, 
unnoticed  disciples!  "Many  that  are  first  shall  be 
last,  and  the  last  first." 

The  encouragement  to  persevering  prayer,  especially 
to  parents  anxious  for  their  children,  is  so  obvious 
that  it  need  only  be  named.  That  silence  first,  and 
then  these  apparent  refusals,  are  trials  of  faith,  to 
which  many  earnest  hearts  have  not  been  strangers. 
To  all  such  the  example  of  this  woman  of  Canaan  is 
of  great  value.  Her  earnestness  in  making  the  case  of 
her  daughter  her  own  (she  does  not  say,  "  Have  mercy 
on  my  daughter;"  but,  "  Have  mercy  on  me; "  and 
again,  "Lord,  help  me"),  and  her  unconquerable  perse- 
verance till  the  answer  came,  have  been  an  inspiration 
ever  since,  and  will  be  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

The  lesson  taught  by  our  Lord's  dealing  with  the 
woman  of  Canaan  is  conveyed  again  on  a  larger  scale 
by  what  happened  in  the  region  of  Decapolis,  east 
of  the  Sea  of  Galilee ;  for  it  was  in  that  region,  as  we 
learn  from  the  more  detailed  account  in  the  second 
Gospel,  that  the  events  which  follow  came  to  pass. 


xiv.-xvi.  12.  THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  211 

The  distance  from  the  one  place  to  the  other  is  con- 
siderable, and  the  route  our  Lord  took  was  by  no 
means  direct.  His  object  at  this  time  seems  to  have 
been  to  court  retirement  as  much  as  possible,  that 
He  might  give  Himself  to  the  preparation  of  His 
disciples — and  we  may,  with  reverence  add,  His  own 
preparation  also — for  the  sad  journey  southward  to 
Jerusalem  and  Calvary.  Besides,  His  work  in  the 
north  is  done :  no  more  circuits  in  Galilee  now ;  so 
Fie  keeps  on  the  far  outskirts  of  the  land,  passing 
through  Sidon,  across  the  southern  ridge  of  Lebanon, 
past  the  base  of  mighty  Hermon,  then  southward  to 
Decapolis — all  the  way  on  border  territory,  where  the 
neople  were  more  heathen  than  Jewish  in  race  and 
religion.  We  can  imagine  Him  on  this  long  and 
toilsome  journey,  looking  in  both  directions  with 
strange  emotion — away  out  to  the  Gentile  nations 
with  love  and  longing ;  and  (with  what  mingled  feel- 
ings of  pain  and  eagerness  who  can  tell  ?)  to  that 
Jerusalem,  where  soon  He  must  offer  up  the  awful 
sacrifice.  When,  after  the  long  journey,  He  came 
nigh  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  He  sought  seclusion  by 
going  up  into  a  mountain.  But  even  in  this  border- 
land He  cannot  be  hid ;  and  when  the  sick  and  needy 
throng  around  Him,  He  cannot  turn  away  from  them. 
He  still  keeps  within  the  limits  of  His  commission, 
as  set  forth  in  His  reply  to  the  woman  of  Canaan ; 
but,  though  He  does  not  go  to  seek  out  those  beyond 
the  pale,  when  they  seek  Him,  He  cannot  send  them 
away  ;  accordingly,  in  these  heathen  or  semi-heathen 
regions,  we  have  another  set  of  cures  and  another 
feeding  of  the  hungry  multitude. 

We  need  not  dwell  on  these  incidents,  as  they  are 
a  repetition,  with  variations,  of  what  He  had  done  at 


212  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

the  conclusion  of  His  work  in  Galilee.  As  to  the 
repetition, — strange  to  say,  there  are  those  who  cavil, 
whenever  similar  events  appear  successively  in  the 
story  of  the  life  and  work  of  Christ.  As  if  it  were 
possible  that  a  work  like  His  could  be  free  from  re- 
petition !  How  often  does  a  physician  repeat  himself 
in  the  course  of  his  practice  ?  Christ  is  always  repeat- 
ing Himself.  Every  time  a  sinner  comes  to  Him 
for  salvation,  He  repeats  Himself,  with  variations ; 
and  when  need  arose  in  Decapolis — like  that  which 
had  previously  arisen  at  Bethsaida,  only  more  urgent, 
for  the  multitude  in  the  present  case  had  been  three 
days  from  home,  and  were  ready  to  faint  with  hunger 
— must  their  wants  go  unrelieved  merely  to  avoid  re- 
petition ?  As  to  the  telling  of  it — for  this  of  course 
might  have  been  avoided,  on  the  ground  that  a  similar 
event  had  been  related  before — was  there  not  most 
excellent  reason  for  it,  in  the  fact  that  these  people 
were  not  of  the  house  of  Israel  in  the  literal  sense? 
To  have  omitted  the  record  of  these  deeds  of  mercy 
would  have  been  to  leave  out  the  evidence  they 
afforded  that  the  love  of  Christ  went  out  not  to  Jews 
only,  but  to  all  sick  and  hungry  ones. 

Sick  and  hungry — these  words  suggest  the  two  great 
needs  of  humanity.  Christ  comes  to  heal  disease,  to 
satisfy  hunger ;  in  particular,  to  heal  the  root  disease 
of  sin,  and  satisfy  the  deep  hunger  of  the  soul  for  God 
and  life  in  Him.  And  when  we  read  how  He  healed 
all  manner  of  disease  among  the  multitudes  in  Deca- 
polis, and  thereafter  fed  them  abundantly  when  they 
were  ready  to  faint  with  hunger,  we  see  how  He  is 
set  forth  as  a  Saviour  from  sin  and  Revealer  of  God 
beyond  the  borders  of  the  land  of  Israel. 

It  is  worth  noticing  how  well  this  general  record 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  213 

follows  the  story  of  the  woman  of  Canaan.  Just  as 
she — though  not  of  Israel  after  the  flesh — proved  her- 
self to  be  of  Israel  after  the  spirit,  so  these  heathen 
or  semi-heathen  people  of  Decapolis  forsake  their 
paganism  when  they  see  the  Christ ;  for  of  no  heathen 
deity  do  they  speak  :  they  "  glorified  the  God  of  Israel  " 
(ver.  31).  Thus  we  have  a  contrast  similar  to  that 
which  we  recognised  in  the  case  of  the  woman  of 
Canaan,  between  those  scribes  and  Pharisees  of  Jeru- 
salem— who  drew  near  to  the  God  of  Israel  with  their 
lips  while  the  heart  was  far  away — and  these  people 
of  Decapolis,  who,  though  "  afar  off"  in  the  estimation 
of  these  dignitaries  of  Jerusalem,  are  in  truth  "  nigh  " 
to  the  God  of  Israel.  Is  there  not  in  the  events  of 
the  chapter  a  wondrous  light  cast  on  the  true  meaning 
of  the  name  Israel,  as  not  according  to  the  flesh,  but 
according  to  the  spirit  ? 

IV. — The  Culmination  of  the  Crisis  (xvi.  1-12). 

All  this  time  Jesus  has  been  keeping  as  much  out 
of  the  way  of  His  ungrateful  countrymen  as  the  limits 
of  His  commission  would  permit,  hovering,  as  it  were, 
around  the  northern  outskirts  of  the  land.  But  when 
in  the  course  of  this  largest  circuit  of  all  His  northern 
journeys,  He  reaches  Decapolis,  He  is  so  near  home 
that  He  cannot  but  cross  the  lake  and  revisit  the 
familiar  scenes.  How  is  He  received  ?  Do  the  people 
flock  around  Him  as  they  did  before  ?  If  it  had  been 
so,  we  should  no  doubt  have  been  told.  There  seems 
to  have  been  not  a  single  word  of  welcome.  Of  all 
the  multitudes  He  had  healed  and  blessed,  there  is  no 
one  to  cry,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  ! " 

His  friends,  if  He  has  any,  have  gone  back,  and  walk 
no  more  with  Him ;  but  His  old  enemies  the  Pharisees 


214  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

do  not  fail  Him  ;  and  they  are  not  alone  now,  nor,  as 
before,  in  alliance  only  with  those  naturally  in  sympathy 
with  them,  but  have  actually  made  a  league  with  their 
great  opponents,  the  two  rival  parties  of  Pharisee  and 
Sadducee,  finding  in  their  common  hatred  of  the  Christ 
of  God  a  sinister  bond  of  union. 

This  is  the  first  time  the  Sadducees  are  mentioned 
in  this  Gospel  as  coming  in  contact  with  Jesus.  Some 
of  them  had  come  to  the  baptism  of  John,  to  his  great 
astonishment ;  but,  beyond  this,  they  have  as  yet  put 
in  no  appearance.  They  were  the  aristocracy  of  the 
land,  and  held  the  most  important  offices  of  Church 
and  State  in  the  capital.  It  is  therefore  the  less  to 
be  wondered  at  that  up  to  this  time  the  Carpenter  of 
Nazareth  should  have  been  beneath  their  notice.  Now, 
however,  the  news  of  His  great  doings  in  the  north 
has  at  last  compelled  attention  ;  the  result  is  this  com- 
bination with  the  Pharisees,  who  have  already  been  for 
some  time  engaged  in  the  attempt  to  put  Him  down. 
There  is  indication  elsewhere  (Mark  viii.  15)  that  the 
Herodians  had  also  united  with  them ;  so  we  may  look 
upon  this  as  the  culmination  of  the  crisis  in  Galilee, 
when  all  the  forces  of  the  country  have  been  roused 
to  active  and  bitter  hostility. 

The  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  as  is  well  known, 
were  at  opposite  poles  of  thought ;  the  one  being  the 
traditionalists,  the  other  the  sceptics,  of  the  time,  so 
that  it  was  quite  remarkable  that  they  should  unite 
in  anything.  They  did,  however,  unite  in  this  demand 
for  a  sign  from  heaven.  Neither  of  them  could  deny 
that  signs  had  been  given, — that  the  blind  had  received 
sight,  lepers  had  been  cleansed,  the  lame  healed,  and 
deeds  of  mercy  done  on  every  side.  But  neither  party 
was  satisfied  with  this.     Each  was  wedded  to  a  system 


jciv.-xvi.  12.]  THE   CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  215 

of  thought  according  to  which  signs  on  earth  were  of 
no  evidential  value.  A  sign  from  heaven  was  what 
they  needed  to  convince  them.  The  demand  was 
practically  the  same  as  that  which  the  Pharisees  and 
scribes  had  made  before  (xii.  38),  though  it  is  put 
more  specifically  here  as  a  sign  from  heaven.  The 
reason  why  the  Pharisees  adopted  the  same  method 
of  attack  as  before  is  not  far  to  seek.  Their  object 
was  not  to  obtain  satisfaction  as  to  His  claims,  but  to 
find  the  easiest  way  of  discrediting  them  ;  and,  knowing 
as  they  did  from  their  past  experience  that  the  demand 
of  a  special  sign  wTould  be  refused,  they  counted  on  the 
refusal  beforehand,  to  be  used  by  their  new  allies  as 
well  as  themselves  as  a  weapon  against  Him.  They 
were  not  disappointed,  for  our  Lord  was  no  respecter 
of  persons ;  therefore  He  spoke  just  as  plainly  and 
sternly  when  the  haughty  Sadducees  were  present  as 
He  had  done  before  they  made  their  appearance. 

The  words  are  stern  and  strong;  but  here  again 
it  is  "  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger  "  that  He  speaks. 
We  learn  from  St.  Mark  that,  as  He  gave  His  answers, 
"  He  sighed  deeply  in  His  spirit."  There  had  been  so 
many  signs,  and  they  were  so  plain  and  clear — signs 
which  spoke  for  themselves,  signs  which  so  plainly 
spelt  out  the  words,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  among 
you  " — that  it  was  unspeakably  sad  to  think  that  they 
should  be  blind  to  them  all,  and  find  it  in  their  heart 
to  ask  for  something  else,  which  in  its  nature  would  be 
no  sign  at  all,  but  only  a  portent,  a  barren  miracle. 

We  can  see  in  this  how  determined  our  Lord  was 
not  to  minister  to  the  craving  for  the  merely  miraculous. 
He  would  work  no  miracle  for  the  mere  purpose  of 
exciting  astonishment  or  even  of  producing  conviction, 
when   there  was  quite  enough   for  all   who   were   at 


216  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

all  willing  to  receive  it,  in  the  regular,  natural  and 
necessary  development  of  His  work  as  the  Healer  of 
the  sick,  the  Shepherd  of  the  people,  the  Refuge  of  the 
troubled  and  distressed.  Had  there  been  no  signs  of 
the  times,  there  might  have  been  some  reason  for  signs 
in  the  heavens ;  but  when  there  were  signs  in  abund- 
ance of  the  kind  to  appeal  to  all  that  was  best  in  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  men,  why  should  these  be  dis- 
credited by  resorting  to  another  kind  of  sign  much 
inferior  and  far  less  adapted  to  the  securing  of  the 
special  object  for  which  the  King  of  heaven  had 
come  into  the  world  ?  The  signs  of  the  times  were 
after  all  far  more  easily  discerned  than  those  signs  in 
the  heavens  by  which  they  were  accustomed  to  anticipate 
both  fine  and  stormy  weather.  There  were  signs  of 
blessing  enough  to  convince  any  doubter  that  the 
summer  of  heaven  was  easily  within  His  reach ;  on 
the  other  hand,  in  the  state  of  the  nation,  and  the 
rapidly  developing  circumstances  which  were  hastening 
v^n  the  fulfilment  of  the  most  terrible  of  the  prophecies 
concerning  it,  there  were  signs  enough  to  give  far 
more  certain  indication  of  approaching  judgment,  than 
when  the  red  and  lowering  morning  gave  token  of  the 
coming  thunderstorm  (vv.  2,  3).  So  He  tells  them, 
convicting  them  of  wilful  blind  a  ess ;  and  then  repeats 
in  almost  identical  terms  the  refusal  He  had  given  to 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees  before :  "  A  wicked  and 
adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign  ;  and  there 
shall  no  sign  be  given  unto  it,  but  the  sign  of  the 
prophet  Jonas"  (see  xii.  39,  and  remarks  on  it 
on  pp.  166-8). 

"And  He  left  them,  and  departed."  How  sad  for 
Him  ;  how  awful  for  them  1  Had  there  been  in  their 
hearts  one  single   aspiration   for   the   true  and  good, 


xiv.-xvi.  12.]  THE  CRISIS  IN  GALILEE.  217 

He  would  not  have  left  them  so.  Where  are  these 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees  now?  What  do  they  now 
think  of  the  work  of  that  day? 

u  He  left  them,  and  again  entering  into  the  boat 
departed  to  the  other  side"  (Mark  viii.  13).  Did  He 
ever  cross  the  lake  again  ?  If  He  did,  there  is  no 
record  of  it.  He  passed  in  sight  of  it  in  that  sorrowful 
southward  journey  to  Jerusalem  which  He  must  pre- 
sently commence;  and  He  will  visit  the  same  shore 
again  after  His  resurrection  to  cheer  the  apostles  at 
their  toil ;  but  this  seems  to  have  been  the  last  crossing. 
What  a  sad  one  it  must  have  been  ! — after  a  beginning 
so  bright  that  it  was  heralded  as  daybreak  on  Genne- 
saret's  shore,  after  all  His  self-denying  toil,  after  all 
the  words  of  wisdom  He  has  spoken  and  the  deeds  of 
mercy  He  has  done  upon  these  shores,  to  leave  them, 
as  He  does  now,  rejected  and  despised,  an  outcast, 
to  all  outward  appearance  a  failure.  No  wonder  He 
is  silent  in  that  crossing  of  the  lake ;  no  wonder  He 
is  lost  in  saddest  thought,  turning  over  and  over  in 
His  mind  the  signs  of  the  times  forced  so  painfully 
on  His  attention  1 

The  disciples  with  Him  in  the  boat  had  no  share 
in  these  sad  thoughts.  Their  minds,  as  it  would  seem, 
were  occupied  for  the  most  part  with  the  mistake 
they  had  made  in  provisioning  the  boat.  Accord- 
ingly, when  at  last  He  broke  silence,  He  found 
them  quite  out  of  touch  with  Him.  He  had  been 
thinking  of  the  sad  unbelief  of  these  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees,  and  of  the  awful  danger  of  allowing  the 
spirit  which  was  in  them  to  dominate  the  life ;  hence 
the  solemn  caution  :  "  Take  heed,  and  beware  of  the 
leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees."  The 
disciples  meantime  had  been  counting  their  loaves,  or 


218  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

rather,  looking  sadly  on  the  one  loaf  which,  on  search- 
ing their  baskets,  they  found  to  be  all  they  had ;  and 
when  the  word  leaven  caught  their  ear,  coupled  with 
a  caution  as  to  a  particular  kind  of  it,  they  said  one 
to  another,  "  It  is  because  we  have  taken  no  bread  ! " 
Another  cause  of  sadness  to  the  Master.  He  had 
been  mourning  over  the  blindness  of  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees;  He  must  now  mourn  over  the  blindness 
of  His  own  disciples ;  and  not  blindness  only,  but  also 
forgetfulness  of  a  thrice-taught  lesson  :  for  why  should 
the  mere  supply  of  bread  be  any  cause  of  anxiety  to 
them,  after  what  they  had  seen  once  and  again  in  these 
very  regions  to  which  they  were  going  ? 

But  these  hearts  were  not  shut  against  Him ;  theirs 
was  not  the  blindness  of  those  that  will  not  see; 
accordingly,  the  result  is  very  different.  He  did  not 
leave  them  and  depart;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  did 
He  explain  in  so  many  words  what  He  meant.  It  was 
far  better  that  t^.ey  should  find  out  for  themselves. 
The  riddles  of  nature  and  of  life  are  not  furnished  with 
keys.  They  must  be  discerned  by  thoughtful  atten- 
tion ;  so,  instead  of  providing  them  a  key  to  His  little 
parable,  He  puts  them  in  the  way  of  finding  it  for 
themselves  by  asking  them  a  series  of  questions  which 
convinced  them  of  their  thoughtlessness  and  faithless- 
ness, and  led  them  to  recognise  His  true  meaning 
(w.  8-12). 


XIII. 

THE   NEW   DEPARTURE. 

(founding  of  the  church.) 

Matt.  xvi.  13 — xvii.  21. 

THIS  conversation  at  Caesarea  Philippi  is  universally 
regarded  as  marking  a  new  era  in  the  life  of 
Christ.  His  rejection  by  "  His  own  "  is  now  complete. 
Jerusalem,  troubled  at  His  birth,  had  been  troubled 
once  again  when  He  suddenly  came  to  His  Temple,  and 
began  to  cleanse  it  in  His  Father's  name ;  and  though 
many  at  the  feast  were  attracted  by  His  deeds  of  mercy, 
He  could  not  commit  Himself  to  any  of  them  (John  ii. 
24) :  there  was  no  rock  there  on  which  to  build  His 
Church.  He  had  passed  through  Samaria,  and  found 
there  fields  white  unto  the  harvest,  but  the  time  of 
reaping  was  not  yet.  Galilee  had  given  better  promise  : 
again  and  again  it  had  appeared  as  if  the  foundation  of 
the  new  kingdom  would  be  firmly  laid  in  the  land  of 
"Zehulun  and  Naphtali "  ;  but  there  had  been  bitter  and 
crushing  disappointment, — even  the  cities  where  most 
of  His  mighty  works  were  done  repented  not.  The 
people  had  eagerly  welcomed  His  earthly  things;  but 
when  He  began  to  speak  to  them  of  heavenly  things 
they  "went  back,  and  walked  no  more  with  Him." 
And  though  opportunity  after  opportunity  was  given 
them    while    He   hovered  on  the  outskirts,   ever   and 


220  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

anon  returning  *  to  the  familiar  scenes,  they  would  not 
repent ;  they  would  not  welcome  or  even  receive  the 
kingdom  of  God  which  Christ  came  to  found.  The 
country  has  been  traversed  from  the  wilderness  of 
Judaea,  in  the  far  south,  even  unto  Dan ;  and  as  there 
had  been  no  room  for  the  Infant  King  in  the  inn,  so 
there  was  none  in  all  the  land  for  the  infant  kingdom. 

Thus  it  comes  to  pass  that,  with  the  very  small  band 
He  has  gathered  around  Him — called  in  the  land  in- 
deed, but  now  of  necessity  called  to  come  out  of  it — He 
withdraws  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Gentile  town  of 
Caesarea  Philippi ;  not  for  seclusion  only,  but,  as  the 
event  shows,  to  found  an  Ecclesia — His  Church.  The 
scenery  in  this  region  is  exceptionally  beautiful,  and 
the  place  was  in  every  way  suited  for  a  season  of  quiet 
communion  with  nature  and  with  nature's  God.  It 
was,  moreover,  just  outside  the  land  ;  and  in  the  place 
and  surroundings  there  was  much  that  must  have  been 
suggestive  and  inspiring.  Is  not  this  great  mountain, 
on  one  of  the  southern  flanks  of  which  they  are  now 
resting,  the  mighty  Hermon,  the  great  landmark  of  the 
north,  rearing  its  snowy  head  on  high  to  catch  the 
precious  clouds  of  heaven,  and  enrich  with  them  the 
winds  that  shall  blow  southward  over  Palestine  ? 
And  are  not  these  springs  which  issue  from  the  rock 
beside  them  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  the  sacred  river? 
As  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  as  the  flowing  of  the 
water-springs,  shall  be  that  Church  of  the  living  God, 
which,  as  the  sequel  will  unfold,  had  its  first  foundation 
on  this  rocky  hillside  and  by  these  river  sources. 

*  A  touching  fulfilment  of  the  Messianic  spirit  of  these  prophetic 
words:  "How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  ?  how  shall  I  deliver 
thee,  Israel  ?  how  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah  ?  how  shall  I  set 
thee  as  Zeboim  ?  mine  heart  is  turned  within  me,  my  repentings 
are  kindled  together."    Compare  chap.  xi.  21-24. 


xvi.  i3-xvii.2i.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  221 

Into  this  remote  and  rocky  region,  then,  the  Master 
has  retired  with  the  small  band  of  faithful  disciples,  on 
whom  alone  He  can  depend  for  the  future.  But  can 
He  depend  even  on  them  ?  Have  they  not  been  tainted 
with  the  general  apostasy  ?  Does  He  not  already 
know  one  of  them  to  be  in  heart  a  traitor  ?  (cf.  John 
vi.  70).  And  have  not  all  of  them  just  needed  the 
caution  themselves  to  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees?  Are  they  really  strong 
men  of  faith,  like  "  faithful  Abraham,"  or  are  they  to  be 
like  reeds  shaken  by  the  wind  ?  The  time  has  come  to 
test  it.  This  He  does,  first  by  asking  them  what  they 
think  of  Himself,  and  then  by  showing  them  what 
they  must  expect  if  they  still  will  follow  Him.  First 
there  must  be  the  test  of  faith,  to  ascertain  what 
they  have  learned  from  their  intercourse  with  Him  in 
the  past ;  then  the  test  of  hope,  lest  their  attachment 
to  Him  should  be  based  on  expectations  doomed  to 
disappointment. 

I. — The  Christ  (xvi.  13-20). 

The  faith  test  is  a  strictly  personal  one.  We  have 
seen  how  the  Master  has,  so  to  speak,  focussed  His 
gospel  in  Himself.  He  had  begun  by  preaching  the 
Gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  and  calling  men  to  repentance ; 
but  as  time  passed  on  He  found  it  necessary  to  make 
a  more  personal  appeal,  pressing  His  invitations  in  the 
winning  form,  "Come  unto  Me."  When  things  came 
to  a  crisis  in  Galilee,  He  first  in  symbol  and  then  in 
word  set  Himself  before  the  people  as  the  bread  of  life, 
which  each  one  must  receive  and  eat  if  he  would  live. 
Thus  He  has  been  making  it  more  and  more  evident 
that  the  only  way  to  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  is  to 
welcome  Himself  as  the  Son  of  the  living  God  come 


222  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

to  claim  the  hearts  of  men  for  His  Father  in  heaven. 
How  is  it  with  the  little  band  ?  Is  theirs  the  popular 
notion,  which  classes  the  Son  of  God  as  only  one  among 
other  gifted  sons  of  men,  or  do  they  welcome  Him 
in  the  plenitude  of  His  divine  prerogative  and  power  ? 
Hence  the  first  inquiry,  which  brings  out  the  answer : 
11  Some  say  that  Thou  art  John  the  Baptist :  some, 
Elias ;  and  others,  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the  prophets." 
This  is  manifestly  the  popular  idea  at  its  highest  and 
best.  There  were,  no  doubt,  among  the  people  those 
whose  thought  already  was  "Away  with  Him!  away 
with  Him  !"  But  it  might  well  go  without  saying  that 
the  disciples  had  no  sympathy  with  these.  It  did,  how- 
ever, remain  to  be  seen  whether  they  were  not  content, 
like  the  best  of  the  people,  to  accept  Him  as  a  teacher 
sent  from  God,  a  great  prophet  of  Israel,  or  at  most  a 
John  the  Baptist,  the  mere  herald  of  the  coming  King. 
We  can  imagine,  then,  with  what  intensity  of  feeling 
the  Master  wrould  look  into  the  disciples'  eyes  as  He 
put  the  testing  question,  "  But  whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  " 
and  with  what  joy  He  would  hail  the  ready  response 
of  their  spokesman  Peter,  when,  with  eyes  full  of 
heavenly  light  and  heart  glowing  with  sacred  fire,  he 
exclaimed,  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God!" 

It  would  be  beyond  belief,  were  it  not  so  sadly 
familiar  a  fact,  that  some,  professing  honestly  to  inter- 
pret this  passage,  resolve  the  answer  of  the  apostle  into 
little  or  nothing  more  than  the  popular  idea,  as  if  the 
Sen  ship  here  referred  to  were  only  what  any  prophet 
or  righteous  man  might  claim.  He  surely  must  be 
wilfully  blind  who  does  not  see  that  the  apostolic 
answer  which  the  Lord  accepts  is  wide  as  the  poles 
from  the  popular  notions  He  so  decisively  rejects ;  and 


xvi  i3-xvii.2i.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  223 

this  is  made  peculiarly  emphatic  by  the  striking  words 
with  which  the  true  answer  is  welcomed — the  Saviour's 
first  personal  beatitude  (as  if  to  suggest,  His  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven — cf.  Matt.  v.  3,  10)  :  "  Blessed 
art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath 
not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  My  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  It  will  be  remembered  that,  in  asserting  His 
own  personal  relation  to  the  Father,  Christ  had  said : 
"No  man  knoweth  the  Son,  but  the  Father;  neither 
knoweth  any  man  the  Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he 
to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  Him  "  (xi.  27) ;  and 
now  that  to  one  at  least  the  Father  has  been  revealed 
in  the  Son,  He  recognises  the  fact  with  joy.  These 
notions  of  the  people  about  Him  were  but  earth-born 
notions,  the  surmisings  of  "  flesh  and  blood  "  :  this  faith 
of  the  true  apostle  was  born  from  above ;  it  could  have 
come  only  from  heaven. 

Now  at  last,  therefore,  the  foundation  is  laid,  and  the 
building  of  the  spiritual  temple  is  begun.  The  words 
which  follow  (ver.  18)  are  quite  natural  and  free  from 
most,  if  not  from  all,  the  difficulties  in  which  perverse 
human  ingenuity  has  entangled  them,  if  only  we  bear  in 
mind  the  circumstances  and  surroundings.  The  little 
group  is  standing  on  one  of  the  huge  rocky  flanks  of 
mighty  Hermon,  great  boulders  here  and  there  around 
them ;  and  in  all  probability,  well  in  sight,  some  great 
atones  cut  out  of  the  rock  and  made  ready  for  use  in 
building,  like  those  still  to  be  seen  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Baalbec,  to  the  north  of  Hermon ;  for  this  region  was 
famous  for  its  great  temples.  Now,  when  we  remember 
that  the  two  words  our  Lord  uses  (irirpos  and  rrrerpa) 
for  "rock"  in  our  version  have  not  precisely  the  same 
meaning — the  one  (Petros,  Peter)  signifying  a  piece 
of  rock,  a  stone,  the   other  (Petra)  suggesting  rather 


y 


224  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

the  great  bed-rock  out  of  which  these  stones  are  cut 
and  on  which  they  are  lying — we  can  understand  that, 
while  the  reference  is  certainly  in  the  first  place  to 
Peter  himself,  the  main  thing  is  the  great  fact  just 
brought  out  that  he  is  resting,  in  the  strength  of  faith, 
on  God  as  revealed  in  His  Son.  Thus,  while  Peter 
is  certainly  the  piece  of  rock,  the  first  stone  which  is 
laid  upon  the  great  underlying  foundation  on  which 
all  the  faithful  build,  and  therefore  is  in  a  sense — the 
common  popular  sense,  in  fact — the  foundation  stone, 
yet  the  foundation  of  all  is  the  Bed-Rock.  on  which  the 
first  stone  and  all  other  stones  are  laid.  /  Bearing  this 
well  in  mind,  we  further  see  that  there  is  no  incon- 
sistency between  this  and  those  other  scriptures  in 
which  God  is  represented  as  alone  the  Rock  of  our 
salvafion.  The  Bed-Rock,  "  the  Rock  of  Ages,"  is  here, 
as  elsewhere,  God  as  revealed  in  His  Son,  and  Peter  is 
the  first  stone  "  well  and  truly  laid  "  upon  it. 

If  the  surroundings  suggest  the  use  of  the  words 
Petros  and  Pelra,  stone  and  rock,  the  circumstances 
suggest  the  use  of  the  word  Ecclesia,  or  Church,  which 
is  here  employed  by  our  Lord  for  the  first  time.  Up 
to  this  time  He  has  spoken  always  of  the  kingdom, 
never  of  the  church.  How  is  this  to  be  explained  ? 
Of  course  the  kingdom  is  the  larger  term ;  and  now 
it  is  necessary  that  that  portion  of  the  kingdom  which  is 
to  be  organised  on  earth  should  be  distinguished  by  a 
specific  designation  ;  and  the  use  of  the  word  "church  " 
in  preference  to  the  more  familiar  " synagogue"  may 
be  accounted  for  by  the  desire  to  avoid  confusion. 
Besides  this,  however,  the  word  itself  is  specially 
significant.  It  means  an  assembly  "called  out,"  and 
suggests  the  idea  of  separateness,  so  appropriate  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  little  band  of  outcasts. 


xvi.  i3-xvii.2i.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  225 

To  see  into  this  more  fully,  let  us  recall  the  recent 
teaching  as  to  the  true  Israel  (chap,  xv.),  no  longer 
to  be  found  in  the  old  land  of  Israel.  If  there  is 
to  be  an  Israel  at  all,  it  must  be  reconstituted  "  outside 
the-  camp."  In  view  of  this,  how  strikingly  significant 
is  it  that  just  as  Abraham  had  to  leave  his  country  and 
go  to  a  strange  land  to  found  the  old  theocracy,  so 
Christ  has  to  leave  His  country  and  go  with  His 
followers  to  these  remote  northern  regions  to  constitute 
"  the  Israel  of  God,"  to  inaugurate  His  Church,  the 
company  of  those  who,  like  these  faithful  ones,  come  out 
and  are  separate  to  be  united  by  faith  to  Him  I  Christ 
with  the  Twelve  around  Him  is  the  Israel  of  the  New 
Testament ;  and  we  can  imagine  that  it  was  on  this 
occasion  especially  that  in  the  prayers  which  we  know 
from  St.  Luke's  Gospel  He  offered  in  connection  with 
this  very  conversation,  He  would  find  these  words  of 
of  devotion  especially  appropriate :  "  Behold,  I  and 
the  children  which  God  hath  given  Me"  (Heb.  ii.  13). 
The  family  of  God  (see  chap.  xii.  49)  are  by  themselves 
apart,  disowned  by  those  who  still  bear  unworthily  the 
name  of  Israel ;  and  most  appropriate  it  is  that  on  this 
occasion  our  Lord  should  begin  to  use  that  great  word, 
which  means  first  " called  out"  and  then  " gathered 
in  "  :  "on  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church." 

When  we  think  of  the  place  and  the  scene  and  the 
circumstances,  the  sad  memories  of  the  past  and  the 
gloomy  forebodings  for  the  future,  what  sublimity  of 
faith  must  we  recognise  in  the  words  which  immediately 
follow  :  "  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it "  I 
Oh  !  shame  on  us  who  grow  faint-hearted  with  each 
discouragement,  when  the  Master,  with  rejection  behind 
Him  and  death  before  Him,  found  it  encouragement 
enough  after  so  much  toil  to  make  a  bare  beginning 


226  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

of  the  new  temple  of  the  Lord ;  and  even  in  that  day 
of  smallest  things  was  able  to  look  calmly  forward 
across  the  troubled  sea  of  the  dark  future  and  already 
raise  the  shout  of  final  victory  ! 

But  that  day  of  victory  is  still  far  off;  and  before  it 
can  even  begin  to  come,  there  must  be  a  descent  into 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  He  is  about  to 
tell  His  disciples  that  He  must  go  up  to  Jerusalem 
and  die,  and  leave  them  to  be  the  builders  of  the 
Church.  He  cannot  continue  long  to  be  the  Keeper 
of  the  keys ;  so  He  must  prepare  them  for  taking  them 
from  His  hand  when  the  time  shall  come  for  Him  to 
go.  Hence  the  words  which  follow,  appropriately 
addressed  in  the  first  place  to  the  disciple  who  had 
first  confessed  Him  :  "  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  "  Honour  to  whom  honour 
is  due : "  the  first  member  of  the  Church  is  to  be  its 
prime  minister  as  well.  When  the  Master's  voice  shall 
be  silent,  the  voice  of  the  rock-disciple  (and  of  the 
other  disciples  as  well,  for  the  same  commission  was 
afterwards  extended  to  them  all)  shall  have  the  same 
authority  to  bind,  to  loose,  to  regulate  the  administra- 
tion of  Church  affairs  as  if  He  Himself  were  with  them. 
It  was  not  yet  time  to  tell  them  how  it  would  be — viz., 
by  the  coming  and  indwelling  of  His  Spirit ;  it  is  enough 
now  to  give  them  the  assurance  that  the  infant  Church 
shall  not  be  left  without  authority  from  above,  without 
power  from  on  high. 

The  Church  is  founded;  but  for  a  time  it  must 
remain  in  obscurity.  The  people  are  not  ready ;  and 
the  gospel,  which  is  to  be  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation,  is  not  yet  complete,  until  He  shall  go  up  to 
Jerusalem  and  suffer  many  things  and  die.  Till  then 
all  that  has    assed  in  this  sacred  northern  retreat  must 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  227 

remain  a  secret :  "  He  charged  His  disciples  that  they 
should  tell  no  man  that  He  was  the  Christ "  (R.VA 

II. — The  Cross  (xvi.  21-28). 

A  still  more  searching  test  must  now  be  applied. 
It  is  not  enough  to  discover  what  they  have  learned 
from  their  intercourse  with  Him  in  the  past ;  He  must 
find  out  whether  they  have  courage  enough  to  face 
what  is  now  impending  in  the  future.  Their  faith 
in  God  as  revealed  in  Christ  His  Son  has  been  well 
approved.  It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  it  is  strong 
enough  to  bear  the  ordeal  of  the  cross,  to  which  it 
must  soon  be  subjected  :  "  From  that  time  forth  began 
Jesus  to  show  unto  His  disciples,  how  that  He  must 
go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders 
and  chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed." 

Already  from  time  to  time  He  had  darkly  hinted 
what  manner  of  death  He  should  die ;  but  it  was  only 
from  this  time  that  He  began  to  show  it  unto  them, 
to  put  it  before  them  so  that  they  could  not  fail  to 
see  it.  Herein  see  the  wisdom  and  tender  considerate- 
ness  of  "  the  Son  of  man."  So  dark  and  difficult  a 
lesson  would  have  been  too  much  for  them  before. 
The  ordeal  would  have  been  too  severe.  Not  until 
their  faith  has  begun  with  some  firmness  to  grasp  His 
true  and  proper  divinity,  can  their  hope  live  with  such 
a  prospect.  There  must  be  some  basis  for  a  faith  in 
His  rising  again,  before  He  can  ask  them  even  to  look 
into  the  dark  abyss  of  death  into  which  He  must 
descend.  That  basis  is  found  in  the  confession  of  the 
rock-apostle ;  and  relying  on  it  He  can  trust  them  by- 
and-by,  if  not  at  once,  to  look  through  the  darkness  of 
the  suffering  and  death  to  the  rising  again,  the  prospect 
of  which  He  sets  before  them  at  the  very  same  time  • 


228  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

"and  be  raised  again  the  third  day."  Besides,  there 
was  no  possibility  of  their  ever  beginning  to  under- 
stand the  atonement  till  they  had  grasped  the  truth 
of  the  incarnation.  To  this  day  the  one  is  intelligible 
only  in  the  light  of  the  other.  Those  to  whom  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  is  only  "  one  of  the  prophets M  cannot 
begin  to  see  how  He  must  suffer  and  die.  Only  those 
who  with  the  apostles  rise  to  the  realisation  of  His 
divine  glory  are  prepared  to  understand  anything  of 
the  mystery  of  His  Cross  and  Passion. 

As  yet,  however,  the  mystery  is  too  deep  and  the 
prospect  too  dark  even  for  them,  as  becomes  painfully 
evident  from  the  conduct  of  the  bravest  of  them  all, 
who  "took  Him,  and  began  to  rebuke  Him,  saying, 
Be  it  far  from  Thee,  Lord:  this  shall  not  be  unto 
Thee." 

We  naturally  and  properly  blame  the  presumption 
of  the  apostle,  who,  when  he  did  not  understand,  might 
at  least  have  been  silent,  or  have  contented  himself 
with  some  modest  question,  instead  of  this  unbecoming 
remonstrance  with  One  Whose  Messiahship  and  Divine 
Sonship  he  had  just  confessed.  But,  though  we  may 
blame  him  for  what  he  said,  we  cannot  wonder  at  what 
he  thought  and  felt.  The  lesson  of  the  cross  is  just 
beginning.  The  disciples  are  just  entering  a  higher 
form  in  the  Master's  school ;  and  it  does  not  follow, 
because  they  have  undergone  so  well  their  examination 
on  the  great  lesson  of  the  past,  that  they  are  prepared 
all  at  once  to  take  in  what  must  be  the  great  lesson 
of  the  future.  They  have  had  time  for  the  first :  may 
they  not  be  allov.ed  time  for  the  second?  Why,  then, 
is  Peter  reproved  so  very  severely  ? 

We  may  say,  indeed,  that  faithfulness  to  Peter 
himself  required   it.     The   strong  commendation  with 


xvi.  i3-xvii.2i.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  229 

which  his  noble  confession  has  been  greeted,  instead  of 
making  him  humble,  as  it  ought  to  have  done,  inasmuch 
as  it  reminded  him  that  it  was  not  of  himself  but  from 
above  he  had  the  power  to  make  it,  seems  to  have 
made  him  over-confident,  trustful  to  that  very  flesh 
and  blood  to  which  he  had  been  assured  he  was,  in 
regard  to  that  confession,  in  no  wise  indebted.  It 
was  therefore  necessary  that  the  warm  commendation 
accorded  to  the  strength  of  his  faith  should  be  balanced 
by  an  equally  strong  condemnation  of  his  unbelief.  But 
there  is  more  than  this  to  be  said.  Christ  is  looking 
at  Peter,  and  speaking  to  Peter ;  but  he  recognises 
another,  whom  He  names  and  whom  in  the  first  place 
He  addresses :  u  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan."  He 
recognises  the  same  old  enemy,  with  the  same  old 
weapon  of  assault :  for  it  is  the  same  temptation  as  that 
which  formed  the  climax  of  the  conflict  in  the  wilder- 
ness, a  temptation  to  prosecute  His  work  by  methods 
which  would  spare  Him  the  awful  agony  of  the  cross. 
The  devil  had  departed  from  Him  then;  but  only, 
as  we  were  informed,  "  for  a  season " ;  and  there  are 
frequent  indications  in  the  subsequent  history  that  at 
critical  times  the  great  adversary  took  opportunities 
of  renewing  the  old  temptation.  This  is  one  of  these 
occasions.  Let  us  by  all  means  bear  in  mind  that  our 
Lord  was  true  man — that  He  was  "  compassed  with 
infirmity,"  that  He  was  "  tempted  in  all  points  like  as 
we  are,"  though  ever  without  sin ;  let  us  not  imagine, 
then,  that  His  human  soul  was  always  on  so  serene  a 
height  that  the  words  of  one  who  loved  Him  and  whom 
He  loved  so  much  would  have  no  effect  on  Him.  It 
was  hard  enough  for  Him  to  face  the  awful  darkness, 
without  having  this  new  stumbling-block  set  in  His 
path.     It  is  a  real  temptation,  and  a  most  dangerous 


230  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

one;  He  may  not  therefore  tamper  with  it  for  a 
moment  :  Ke  may  not  allow  His  affection  for  His  true 
disciple  to  blind  Him  to  the  real  source  of  it ;  He  must 
realise  with  whom  He  has  to  deal ;  He  must  behind 
the  love  of  the  apostle  recognise  the  malice  of  the  evil 
one,  who  is  using  him  as  his  instrument ;  accordingly, 
with  His  face  set  as  a  flint,  with  His  whole  being  braced 
for  resistance,  so  that  not  a  hair's-breadth  shall  be 
yielded,  He  says :  "  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan  :  thou 
art  a  stumbling-block  unto  Me  "  (R.V.) — words  which 
clearly  indicate  that  He  had  recognised  the  danger,  and 
summoned  the  resources  of  His  faith  and  obedience 
to  put  the  stumbling-block  away. 

"  Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you."  We 
may  be  sure,  therefore,  that  so  soon  as  the  energetic 
words  were  spoken  he  was  gone :  the  stumbling-block 
was  out  of  the  way.  The  words  which  follow  may 
therefore  be  regarded  as  spoken  to  Peter  himself,  to 
bring  to  his  own  consciousness  the  difference  between 
the  heavenly  faith  which  had  come  by  revelation  from 
above,  and  the  earthly  doubt  and  denial,  which  was 
evidently  not  of  God,  though  so  natural  to  flesh  and 
blood :  "  Thou  mindest  not  the  things  of  God,  but  the 
things  of  men  "  (R.V.). 

Thus  once  more  the  Christ  of  God  takes  up  the  cross 
of  man.  In  doing  so  He  not  only  sets  aside  the  pro- 
test, uttered  or  unexpressed,  of  His  disciples'  hearts ; 
but  He  tells  them  plainly  that  they  too  must  take  the 
same  dark  path  if  they  would  follow  Him  :  "  Then  said 
Jesus  unto  His  disciples,  If  any  man  will  come  after  Me, 
let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow 
Me."  So  He  tests  them  to  the  uttermost.  He  with- 
draws nothing  He  has  said  about  the  blessedness  of 
those  who  welcome  the  kingdom   of  heaven  ;  but  the 


*vi.  1 3-xvii.  2 1 .]      THE  NE  W  DEPARTURE.  23 1 

time  has  come  to  put  the  "necessary  condition  in  its 
strongest  light,  so  that,  if  they  still  follow,  it  will  be 
not  blindly,  but  with  eyes  fully  open  to  all  that  it 
involves.  He  has  given  hints  before  of  the  stringency 
of  the  Divine  requirement ;  He  has  spoken  of  the 
strait  gate  and  the  narrow  wa}' ;  now  He  goes  to  the 
very  heart  of  that  hard  matter,  and  unfolds  the  inner- 
most secret  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  "  Let  him  deny 
himself:"  here  is  the  pivot  of  all — the  crux. 

Be  it  observed  that  this  is  not  "  self-denial "  as 
currently  understood,  a  term  applied  to  the  denial  to 
self  of  something  or  other  which  perhaps  self  cares  very 
little  about,  but  something  much  more  radical.  It  is 
the  denial  of  self  involving  as  its  correlative  the  giving 
of  the  life  to  God.  It  is  the  death  of  self-will,  and  the 
birth  of  God-will,*  as  the  central  force  of  the  life. 

u  Let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross."  Each 
one  has  "his"  cross,  some  point  in  which  the  will  of 
God  and  self-will  come  into  direct  opposition.  To  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation  the  conflict  came  in  its  very 
darkest  and  most  dreadful  form.  Its  climax  was  in  the 
Garden,  when  after  the  great  agony  He  cried  :  a  Not 
My  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  Our  conflict  will  not  be 
nearly  so  severe  :  it  may  even  be  on  a  point  that  may 
seem  small, — whether  or  not  we  will  give  up  some  be- 
setting sin,  whether  or  not  we  will  do  some  disagreeable 
duty,  whether  or  not  we  will  surrender  something  which 
stands  between  us  and  Christ, — but  whatever  that  be 
in  which  the  will  of  God  and  our  own  will  are  set  in 
opposition,  there  is  our  cross,  and  it  must  be  taken 
up,  and  self  must  be  denied  that  we  may  follow  Christ. 
11  They  that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the  flesh!' 

*  "  Our  wills  are  ours,  we  know  not  how  : 
Our  wills  are  ours,  to  make  them  Thine!* 


232  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Is  this,  then,  the  great  salvation  ?  Does  it  resolve 
itself  into  a  species  of  suicide?  Do  we  enter  the 
kingdom  of  life  by  death  ?  It  is  even  so ;  and  the 
words  which  follow  resolve  the  paradox :  "  For  who- 
soever will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  whosoever 
will  lose  his  life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it."  It  is  a 
surrender  of  life,  certainly,  for  the  giving  up  of  self 
means  the  giving  up  of  all;  but  these  words  "for  My 
sake  "  make  all  the  difference.  It  is  a  surrender  which, 
in  dethroning  self,  enthrones  Christ  in  the  life.  It  is 
dying  indeed;  but  it  is  dying  into  life:  it  is  an  act  of 
faith  which  puts  an  end  to  the  old  life  of  the  flesh, 
and  opens  the  gate  for  the  new  life  of  the  spirit. 

We  have  seen  that  all  may  hinge  on  some  point  that 
ma}'  seem  quite  small,  in  which  case  the  sacrifice  is 
plainly  not  to  be  compared  with  the  compensation;  but 
even  when  the  very  greatest  sacrifice  is  demanded,  it  is 
folly  not  to  make  it :  "  For  what  shall  a  man  be  profited, 
if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  forfeit  his  life?" 
(R.V.).  And,  if  life  is  forfeited,  how  can  it  be  bought 
back  again:  "What  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for 
his  life"  (R.V.)?  "In  Him  was  life,"  and  in  Him  is 
life  still ;  therefore  He  is  more  to  us  than  all  the  world. 
It  is  better  to  suffer  the  loss  of  all  things  for  Christ, 
than  to  have  all  that  flesh  and  blood  could  desire 
without  Him. 

The  world  is  very  large ;  and  the  Son  of  man  must 
have  seemed  very  small  and  weak  that  day,  as  He  told 
them  of  the  coming  days  when  He  should  suffer  so 
many  things  at  His  enemies'  hands,  and  die ;  but  this  is 
only  while  the  time  of  testing  lasts  :  things  will  be  seen 
in  their  true  proportion  by-and-by,  when  "  the  Son  of 
man  shall  come"  (what  a  golden  background  this  to 
the  dark  prospect  immediately  before  them  !     He  must 


xvi.13-xvii.21.]      THE  NEK    DEPARTURE.  233 

go;  yes ;  but  He  shall  come)  "  in  the  glory  of  His  Father 
with  His  angels ;  then  He  shall  reward  every  man 
according  to  his  works."  Thus,  with  the  searching  test 
the  Saviour  gives  the  reassuring  prospect ;  and  lest  by 
reason  of  its  indefinite  distance  they  may  fail  to  find 
in  it  all  the  encouragement  they  need  for  the  present 
distress,  He  gives  them  the  further  assurance  that, 
before  very  long,  there  shall  be  manifest  tokens  of  the 
coming  glory  of  their  now  despised  and  slighted  King  : 
"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  be  some  standing  here, 
which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son  of 
man  coming  in  His  kingdom. ' 

III. — The  Glory  (xvii.  1-8). 

"After  six  days" — the  interval  is  manifestly  of 
importance,  for  the  three  Evangelists  who  record  the 
event  all  lay  stress  on  it.  St.  Luke  says  "  about  an 
eight  days,"  which  indicates  that  the  six  days  referred 
to  by  the  others  were  days  of  interval  between  that  en 
which  the  conversation  at  Caesarea  Philippi  took  place 
and  the  morning  of  the  transfiguration.  It  follows 
that  we  may  regard  this  important  epoch  in  the  life 
of  our  Lord  as  covering  a  week ;  and  may  we  not 
speak  of  it  as  His  passion  week  in  the  north  ? 
The  shadow  of  the  cross  was  on  Him  all  His  life 
through ;  but  it  must  have  been  much  darker  during 
this  week  than  ever  before.  At  the  beginning  of 
it  He  had  been  obliged  for  the  first  time  to  let  that 
shadow  fall  upon  His  loved  disciples,  and  the  days 
which  followed  seem  to  have  been  given  to  thought 
and  prayer,  and  quiet,  unrecorded  conversation. 
Beyond  all  question  their  thoughts  would  be  fixed  on 
the  new  subject  of  contemplation  which  had  just  been 
brought  before  them,  and  whatever  conversation  they 


234  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

had  with  one  another  and  with  the  Muster  would  have 
this  for  its  centre.  It  cannot  but  have  been  a  very 
sad  and  trying  week.  The  first  tidings  of  the  approach 
of  some  impending  disaster  is  often  harder  to  bear  than 
is  the  stroke  itself  when  afterwards  it  falls.  To  the 
disciples  the  whole  horizon  of  the  future  would  be 
filled  with  darkest  clouds  of  mystery ;  for  though  they 
had  been  told  also  of  the  rising  again  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow,  they  could  as  yet  get  little  cheer 
from  what  lay  so  far  in  the  dim  distance,  and  was, 
moreover,  so  little  understood,  that  even  after  the  vision 
on  the  mount,  the  favoured  three  questioned  with  each 
other  what  the  rising  from  the  dead  might  mean  (Mark 
ix.  io).  To  the  Master  the  awful  prospect  must  have 
been  much  more  definite  and  real ;  yet  even  to  His  human 
soul  it  could  not  have  been  free  from  that  namelessness 
of  mystery  that  must  have  made  the  anticipation  in  some 
respects  as  bad  as  the  reality,  rendering  the  week  to 
Him  a  passion  week  indeed. 

No  wonder  that  at  the  end  of  it  He  has  a  great 
longing  heavenward,  and  that  He  should  ask  the  three 
most  advanced  of  His  disciples,  who  had  been  with 
Him  in  the  chamber  of  death  and  were  afterwards 
to  be  witnesses  of  His  agony  in  the  Garden,  to  go  with 
Him  to  a  high  mountain  apart.  The  wisdom  of  His 
taking  only  these  three  was  afterwards  fully  apparent, 
when  it  proved  that  the  experience  awaiting  them 
on  the  mountain-top  was  almost  too  much  for  even 
them  to  bear.  It  is  of  no  importance  to  identify  the 
mountain ;  probably  it  was  one  of  the  spurs  of  the 
Hermon  range,  at  the  base  of  which  they  had  spent 
the  intervening  week.  We  can  perfectly  understand 
the  sacred  instinct  which  led  the  Saviour  to  seek  the 
highest  point  which  could  be  readily  reached,  so  as  to 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  235 

feel  Himself  for  the  time  as  far  away  from  earth  and 
as  near  to  heaven  as  possible.  When  we  think  of  this, 
what  pathos  is  there  in  the  reference  to  the  height 
of  the  mountain  and  the  loneliness  of  the  spot :  He 
"brhigeth  them  up  into  a  high  mountain  apart"! 

We  are  told  by  St.  Luke  that  they  went  up  "to 
pray."  It  seems  most  natural  to  accept  this  statement 
as  not  only  correct,  but  as  a  sufficient  statement  of 
the  object  our  Saviour  had  in  view.  The  thought  of 
transfiguration  may  not  have  been  in  His  mind  at 
all.  Here,  as  always,  He  was  guided  by  the  will  of  His 
Father  in  heaven ;  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  suppose 
that  to  His  human  mind  that  will  was  made  known 
earlier  than  the  occasion  required.  We  are  not  told 
that  He  went  up  to  be  transfigured :  we  are  told  that 
He  went  up  to  pray. 

It  seems  probable  that  the  idea  was  to  spend  the 
night  in  prayer.  We  know  that  this  was  a  not  in- 
frequent custom  with  Him ;  and  if  ever  there  seemed 
a  call  for  it,  it  must  have  been  now,  when  about  to 
begin  that  sorrowful  journey  which  led  to  Calvary. 
With  this  thought  agree  all  the  indications  which 
suggest  that  it  was  evening  when  they  ascended,  night 
while  they  remained  on  the  top,  and  morning  when 
they  came  down.  This,  too,  will  account  in  the  most 
natural  manner  for  the  drowsiness  of  the  apostles ; 
and  the  fact  that  their  Lord  felt  none  of  it  only  proved 
how  much  more  vivid  was  his  realisation  of  the 
awfulness  of  the  crisis  than  theirs  was.  We  are  to 
think  of  the  four,  then,  as  slowly  and  thoughtfully 
climbing  the  hill  at  eventide,  carrying  their  abbas,  or 
rugs,  on  which  they  would  kneel  for  prayer,  and  which, 
if  they  needed  rest,  they  would  wrap  around  them,  as 
is  the  Oriental  custom.     By  the  time  they  reached  the 


236  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MAT7HEW. 

top,  night  would  have  cast  its  veil  of  mystery  on  the 
grandeur  of  the  mountains  round  about  them  ;  while 
snowy  Hermon  in  the  gloom  would  rise  like  a  mighty 
giant  to  heaven,  its  summit  "  visited  all  night  by  troops 
of  stars."  Never  before  nor  since  has  there  been  such 
a  prayer  meeting  on  this  earth  of  ours. 

A  careful  reading  of  all  the  records  leads  us  to  think 
of  the  following  as  the  order  of  events.  Having  gone 
up  to  pray,  they  would  doubtless  all  kneel  down 
together.  As  the  night  wore  on,  the  three  disciples, 
being  exhausted,  would  wrap  themselves  in  their  cloaks 
and  go  to  sleep ;  while  the  Master,  to  whom  sleep  at 
such  a  time  was  unnatural,  if  not  impossible,  would 
continue  in  prayer.  Can  we  suppose  that  that  time 
of  pleading  was  free  from  agony  ?  His  soul  had  been 
stirred  within  Him  when  Peter  had  tempted  Him  to 
turn  aside  from  the  path  of  the  Cross  ;  and  may  we  not 
with  reverence  suppose  that  on  that  lonely  hilltop,  as 
later  in  the  Garden,  there  might  be  in  His  heart  the 
cry,  "  Father,  if  it  be  possible "  ?  If  only  the  way 
upward  were  open  now !  Has  not  the  kingdom  of 
God  been  preached  in  Judsea,  in  Samaria,  in  Galilee, 
away  to  the  very  borderlands  ?  and  has  not  the  Church 
been  founded  ?  and  has  not  authority  been  given  to  the 
apos'.les  ?  Is  it,  then,  absolutely  necessary  to  go  back, 
back  to  Jerusalem,  not  to  gain  a  triumph,  but  to  accept 
the  last  humiliation  and  defeat  ?  There  cannot  but 
have  been  a  great  conflict  of  feeling ;  and  with  all  the 
determination  to  be  obedient  even  unto  death,  there 
must  have  been  a  shrinking  from  the  way  of  the  cross, 
and  a  great  longing  for  heaven  and  home  and  the 
Father's  welcome.  The  longing  cannot  be  gratified  : 
it  is  not  possible  for  the  cup  to  pass  from  Him  ;  but 
just  as  later  in  Gethsemane  there  came  an  angel  from 


xvi.  13-XVU.21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  237 

heaven  strengthening  him,  so  now  His  longing  for 
heaven  and  home  and  the  smile  of  His  Father  is 
gratified  in  the  gladdening  and  strengthening  ex- 
perience which  followed  His  prayer — a  foretaste  of  the 
heavenly  glory,  so  vivid,  so  satisfying,  that  He  will 
thenceforth  be  strong,  for  the  joy  that  is  set  before 
Him,  to  endure  the  Cross,  despising  the  shame.  For 
behold,  as  He  prays,  His  face  becomes  radiant,  the 
glory  within  shining  through  the  veil  of  His  mortal 
flesh.  We  all  know  that  this  flesh  of  ours  is  more  or 
less  transparent,  and  that  in  moments  of  exaltation  the 
faces  of  even  ordinary  men  will  shine  as  with  a  heavenly 
lustre.  We  need  not  wonder,  then,  that  it  should  have 
been  so  with  our  Lord,  only  in  an  immeasurably 
higher  degree :  that  His  face  should  have  shone  even 
"  as  the  sun "  ;  and  that,  though  He  could  not  yet 
ascend  to  heaven,  heaven's  brightness  should  have 
descended  on  Him  and  wrapped  Him  round,  so  that 
even  "  His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light."  And  not 
only  heavenly  light  is  round,  but  heavenly  company ; 
for  "  behold,  there  appeared  unto  them  Moses  and  Elias 
talking  with  Him." 

The  disciples  could  not  sleep  through  all  this. 
"  When  they  were  fully  awake,  they  saw  His  glory,  and 
the  two  men  that  stood  with  Him  "  (Luke  ix.  32,  R.V.). 
How  they  recognised  them  we  are  not  told.  It  ma}' 
have  been  through  their  conversation,  which  in  part  at 
least  they  understood ;  for  the  substance  of  it  has  been 
preserved  in  St.  Luke's  Gospel,  where  we  read  that 
they  "spake  of  His  decease  (literally,  exodus)  which 
He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem."  The  human  soul 
of  Jesus  no  doubt  longed  for  an  exodus  here  and  now, 
from  this  very  height  of  Hermon  into  the  presence 
of  God ;   but  He  knows  this  cannot  be :  His  exodus 


238  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

must  be  accomplished  in  a  very  different  way,  and  at 
Jerusalem.  This  Moses  and  Elijah  knew  ;  and  their 
words  must  have  brought  Him  encouragement  and 
strength,  and  given  steadiness  and  assurance  to  the 
wavering  hearts  of  Peter,  James  and  John. 

That  the  conversation  was  intended  for  their  benefit 
as  well,  seems  indicated  by  the  way  in  which  Peter's 
intervention  is  recorded :  "  Then  answered  Peter,  and 
said  unto  Jesus."  What  he  said  is  quite  characteristic 
of  the  impulsive  disciple,  so  ready  to  speak  without 
thinking.  On  this  occasion  he  blunders  in  a  very 
natural  and  pardonable  way.  He  feels  as  if  he  ought 
to  say  something ;  and,  as  nothing  more  to  the  purpose 
occurs  to  him,  he  blurts  out  his  thoughtless  proposal 
to  make  three  tabernacles  for  their  abode.  Besides 
the  thoughtlessness  of  this  speech,  which  is  manifest 
enough,  there  seems  to  lurk  in  it  a  sign  of  his  falling 
back  into  the  very  error  which  a  week  ago  he  had 
renounced — the  error  of  putting  his  Master  in  the  same 
class  as  Moses  and  Elias,  reckoning  Him  thus,  as  the 
people  of  Galilee  had  done,  simply  as  "one  of  the 
prophets."  If  so,  his  mistake  is  at  once  corrected  ; 
for  behold  a  bright  luminous  cloud — fit  symbol  of  the 
Divine  presence :  the  cloud  suggesting  mystery,  and 
the  brightness,  glory — wraps  all  from  sight,  and  out 
of  the  cloud  there  comes  a  voice  :  "  This  is  My  beloved 
Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased ;  hear  ye  Him." 

We  now  see  how  appropriate  it  was  that  just  these 
two  should  be  the  heavenly  messengers  to  wait  upon 
the  Son  of  man  on  this  occasion.  The  one  represented 
the  law,  the  other  the  prophets.  "  The  law  and  the 
prophets  were  until  John  ;  "  but  both  are  now  merge  J 
in  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  Who  is  all  and  in  all.  Moses  and 
Elijah  have  long  had  audience  of  the  people  of  God; 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  239 

but  behold  a  greater  than  Moses  or  Elijah  is  here, 
and  they  must  withdraw  ;  and  accordingly,  when  the 
Voice  is  silent  and  the  cloud  has  cleared  away,  Jesus 
is  left  alone.  No  one  remains  to  divide  His  authority, 
and  none  to  share  His  sorrow.  He  must  tread  the 
winepress  alone.  Moses  and  Elijah  return  to  the  world 
of  spirits — Jesus,  God's  beloved  Son,  to  the  world 
of  men.  And  all  His  human  sympathies  were  fresh 
and  quick  as  ever ;  for,  finding  His  three  disciples 
fallen  on  their  faces  for  fear,  He  came  and  touched 
them,  saying,  u  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid."  They  no 
doubt  thought  their  Lord  had  laid  aside  His  human 
body,  and  left  them  all  alone  upon  the  mountain ;  but 
with  His  human  hand  He  touched  them,  and  with  His 
human  voice  He  called  them  as  of  old,  and  with  His 
human  heart  He  welcomed  them  again.  Reassured, 
they  lifted  up  their  eyes,  and  saw  their  Lord — the  ma:i 
Christ  Jesus  as  before — and  no  one  else.  All  is  over; 
and  as  the  world  is  unprepared  for  it,  the  vision  is 
sealed  until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  from  the  dead 

Why  were  their  lips  sealed  ?  The  more  we  think 
of  it,  the  more  we  shall  see  the  wisdom  of  this  seal 
of  secrecy,  even  from  the  other  nine  ;  for  had  they 
been  prepared  to  receive  the  revelation,  they  would 
have  been  privileged  to  witness  it.  The  transfiguration 
was  no  mere  wonder ;  it  was  no  sign  granted  to 
incredulity :  it  was  one  of  those  sacred  experiences 
for  rare  spirits  in  rare  hours,  which  nature  itself 
forbids  men  to  parade,  or  even  so  much  as  mention, 
unless  constrained  to  it  by  duty. 

It  is  one  of  the  innumerable  notes  of  truth  found, 
wherever  aught  that  is  marvellous  is  recorded  in  these 
Gospels,  that  the  glory  on  the  mount  is  not  appealed 
to,   to   confirm    the   faith   of  any  but   the  three  who 


240  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

witnessed  it.  Upon  them  it  did  produce  a  deep  and 
abiding  impression.  One  of  them,  indeed,  died  a 
martyr's  death  so  very  early  that  we  have  nothing 
from  his  pen  (Acts  xii.  2) ;  but  both  the  others  have 
left  us  words  written  late  in  their  after  life,  which  show 
how  ineffaceable  was  the  impression  produced  upon 
them  by  what  they  saw  that  memorable  night.  John 
evidently  has  it  in  mind,  both  in  the  beginning  of 
his  Epistle  and  of  his  Gospel,  as  where  he  says  :  "  We 
beheld  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father ; "  and  Peter  thus  conveys  the  assurance 
which  the  experience  of  that  night  left  with  him  to 
the  end  :  "  We  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised 
fables,  when  we  made  known  unto  you  the  power  and 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  were  eyewitnesses 
of  His  majesty.  For  He  received  from  God  the  Father 
honour  and  glory,  when  there  came  such  a  voice  to 
Him  from  the  excellent  glory,  This  is  My  beloved 
Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased.  And  this  voice 
which  came  from  heaven  we  heard,  when  we  were 
with  Him  in  the  holy  mount."  But  while  the  impres- 
sion made  upon  the  three  who  witnessed  it  was  so 
deep  and  abiding,  it  could  not  be  expected  to  have 
any  direct  evidential  value  to  others ;  accordingly  it 
remained  unused  in  their  dealings  with  others  until 
their  Master's  work  had  been  crowned  by  His  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  which  was  to  be  the  sign,  as 
He  had  again  and  again  said  to  those  who  kept  asking 
Him  for  a  sign  from  heaven.  The  transfiguration 
was  indeed  a  sign  from  heaven ;  but  it  was  no  sign 
for  a  faithless  generation :  it  was  only  for  those  who 
by  the  strength  of  their  faith  and  the  purity  of  their 
devotion  were  prepared  to  receive  it.  Signs  fitted  to 
satisfy  the  doubting  heart  had  been  wrought  in  great 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  241 

abundance  (xi.  4,  5)  ;  and  the  crowning  sign  was  to 
be  certified  by  many  infallible  proofs,  after  which  it 
would  be  time  to  speak  of  the  experience  of  that  sacred 
night  upon  the  holy  mount. 

How  fitly  the  transfiguration  closes  this  memorable 
week !  As  we  linger  with  the  Lord  and  His  disciples 
at  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  we  realise  that  we  have 
reached  what  we  may  call  the  water-shed  of  doctrine  in 
His  training  of  the  Twelve.  Slowly  have  they  been 
rising  in  their  thoughts  of  Christ,  until  at  last  they 
recognise  His  true  divinity,  and  make  a  clear  and  full 
confession  of  it.  But  no  sooner  have  they  reached 
that  height  of  truth  than  they  are  constrained  to  look 
down  into  the  dark  valley  before  them,  at  the  bottom  of 
which  they  dimly  see  the  dreadful  cross ;  and  then,  to 
comfort  and  reassure,  there  is  this  vision  of  the  glory 
that  shall  follow.  Thus  we  have,  in  succession,  the 
three  great  doctrines  of  the  faith :  Incarnation,  Atone- 
ment, Resurrection.  There  is  first  the  glory  of  Christ 
as  the  Son  of  God ;  then  His  shame  as  Bearer  of  our 
sin ;  then  the  vision  of  the  glory  that  shall  follow,  the 
glory  given  to  Him  as  His  reward.  For  may  we  not 
regard  that  company  upon  the  mount  as  a  miniature  of 
the  Church  in  heaven  and  on  earth?  There  was  the 
great  and  glorified  Head  of  the  Church,  and  round 
Him  five  representative  members :  two  from  the  family 
in  heaven,  three  from  the  family  on  earth — those  from 
the  Church  triumphant,  these  from  the  Church  still 
militant — those  from  among  the  saints  of  the  old 
covenant,  these  the  firstfruits  of  the  new.  Could  there 
have  been  a  better  representation  of  "  the  whole  family 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  "  ?  How  appropriate  that  the 
passion  week  of  the  north,  which  began  with  the 
founding  of  the  Church  in  the  laying  of  its  first  stone, 

16 


242  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

should  end  with  a  vision  of  it  as  completed,  which  must 
to  some  extent  have  been  a  fulfilment  of  the  promise, 
11  He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  shall  be 
satisfied"! 

Observe,  too,  in  quick  succession,  the  great  key-words 
of  the  new  age :  The  Christ  (xvi.  16),  The  Church 
(ver.  1 8),  The  Cross  (ver.  24),  The  Glory  (ver.  27)  : 
the  latter,  as  still  in  the  future,  made  real  by  the  glory 
on  the  holy  mount.  The  mediaeval  interpreters,  always 
on  the  watch  for  the  symbolism  of  numbers,  especially 
the  number  three,  regarded  Peter  as  the  apostle  of 
faith,  James  of  hope,  and  John  of  love.  And  though  we 
may  set  this  aside  as  a  touch  of  fancy,  we  cannot  fail 
to  observe  that  just  as  the  mind,  in  its  grasp  of  truth, 
is  led  from  the  incarnation  to  the  atonement,  and 
thence  to  the  resurrection  and  the  glory  that  shall 
follow ;  so  the  cardinal  graces  of  the  Christian  life  are 
called  out  in  quick  succession  :  first  faith  with  its  rock- 
foundation  ;  then  love  with  its  self-sacrificing  devotion ; 
and  finally  hope  with  its  vision  of  heavenly  glory. 
The  whole  gospel  of  Christ,  the  whole  life  of  the 
Christian,  is  found  in  this  brief  passage  of  the  first 
Evangelist,  ending  with  the  suggestive  words,  "Jesus 
only." 

IV. — The  Descent  (xvii.  9-21). 

Who  can  tell  what  each  step  downward  cost  the 
Son  of  man  ?  If  it  seemed  good  to  the  disciples  to  be 
on  the  mountain-top,  what  must  it  have  been  to  the 
Master  I  and  what  utter  denial  of  self  and  conscious 
taking  up  of  the  cross  it  must  have  been  to  leave  that 
hallowed  spot  1  We  have  already  seen  a  reason,  as 
r  gards  the  disciples,  why  the  vision  should  be  sealed 
till  the  time  of  the  end ;   but  was  there  not   also  a 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  243 

reason  which  touched  the  Master  Himself?  It  was 
well  that  He  had  enjoyed  such  a  time  of  refreshing — it 
would  be  something  to  look  back  to  in  darkest  hours  ; 
but  it  must  be  a  memory  only :  it  may  not  therefore  be 
a  subject  of  conversation — not  the  glory,  but  the  cross, 
must  now,  both  for  Himself  and  for  His  disciples,  fill 
all  the  near  horizon. 

This  view  of  the  case  is  confirmed  by  the  manner  in 
which  He  deals  with  their  question  respecting  Elijah. 
It  was  a  very  natural  question.  It  was  no  doubt 
perplexing  in  many  ways  to  be  absolutely  forbidden 
to  tell  what  they  had  seen;  but  it  seemed  especially 
mysterious  in  view  of  Elijah's  appearance,  which  they 
not  unnaturally  regarded  as  a  fulfilment  of  the 
prophecy  for  which  the  scribes  were  waiting.  Hence 
their  question,  "Why,  then,  say  the  Scribes  that 
Elias  must  first  come  ? "  Our  Lord's  answer  turned 
their  thoughts  to  the  true  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy, 
which  was  no  shadowy  appearance  on  a  lonely  hill, 
but  the  real  presence  among  the  men  of  the  time  of 
a  genuine  reformer  who  had  come  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elijah,  and  who  would  certainly  have 
restored  all  things,  had  not  these  very  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  failing  to  recognise  him,  left  him  to  the 
will  of  the  tyrant  who  had  done  away  with  him.  Then 
most  significantly  He  adds,  that  as  it  had  been  with 
the  Elijah,  so  would  it  be  with  the  Messiah  of  the 
time :  "  Likewise  shall  also  the  Son  of  man  suffer  of 
them."  Thus,  in  showing  them  where  to  look  for  the 
true  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  He  turns  their  atten- 
tion as  well  as  His  own  away  from  the  glory  on  the 
mount,  which  must  now  be  a  thing  of  the  past,  to 
that  dark  scene  in  the  prison  cell,  which  was  so 
painfully  impressed  upon  their  minds,  and  those  still 


244  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.    MATTHEW. 

darker  scenes  in  the  near  future  of  which  it  was  the 
presage. 

At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  there  is  presented  one  of 
those  striking  contrasts  with  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
this  Gospel  abounds.  It  is  very  familiar  to  us  through 
Raphael's  great  painting;  and  we  shall  certainly  not 
make  the  mistake  of  attempting  to  translate  into  our 
feeble  words  what  is  there  seen,  and  may  now  be 
regarded  as  "  known  and  read  of  all  men."  Leaving, 
therefore,  to  the  imagination  the  contrast  between  the 
glory  on  the  mount  and  the  misery  on  the  plain,  let  us 
briefly  look  at  the  scene  itself.  Briefly ;  for  though  it 
well  deserves  detailed  treatment,  the  proper  place  for 
this  would  be  the  full  record  of  it  in  the  second  Gospel ; 
while  the  more  general  way  in  which  it  is  presented 
here  suggests  the  propriety  of  dealing  with  it  in  outline 
only.  Without,  then,  attempting  to  enter  on  the  striking 
and  most  instructive  details  to  be  found  in  St.  Mark's 
Gospel,  and  without  even  dealing  with  it  as  we  have 
endeavoured  to  deal  with  similar  cures  under  the  head 
of  the  Signs  of  the  Kingdom,  it  may  be  well  to  glance 
at  it  in  the  light  of  the  words  used  by  our  Lord  when 
He  was  confronted  with  the  sorrowful  scene :  "  O 
faithless  and  perverse  generation,  how  long  shall  I  be 
with  you?  how  long  shall  I  suffer  you?" 

It  seems  evident  from  these  words  that  He  is  look- 
ing at  the  scene,  not  so  much  as  presenting  a  case  of 
individual  suffering,  appealing  to  His  compassion,  as 
a  representation  in  miniature  of  the  helplessness  and 
perverseness  of  the  race  of  men  He  has  come  to  save. 
Remember  how  well  He  knew  what  was  in  man,  and 
therefore  what  it  must  have  been  to  Him,  immediately 
after  such  a  season  of  pure  and  peaceful  communion  on 
the  holy  mount,  to  have  to  enter  into  sympathy  with 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE,  245 

all  the  variety  of  helplessness  and  confusion  He  saw 
around  Him.  There  is  the  poor  plague-stricken  boy  in 
the  centre  ;  beside  him  his  agonised  father ;  there,  the 
feeble  and  blundering  disciples,  and  the  scribes  (Mark 
ix.  14)  questioning  with  them ;  and  all  around  the 
excited,  sympathetic  and  utterly  perplexed  multitude. 
Yet  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  so  near  them,  and  has 
been  so  long  proclaimed  amorg  them  !  Alas  !  alas  for 
the  perversity  of  men,  that  blinds  them  to  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness,  already  arisen  with  healing  in  His 
wings,  and  for  the  unbelief  even  of  the  disciples 
themselves,  which  renders  them,  identified  though  they 
are  with  the  kingdom,  as  helpless  as  all  the  rest ! 
When  we  think  of  all  this,  need  we  wonder  at  the  wail 
which  breaks  from  the  Saviour's  sorrowful  heart,  need 
we  wonder  that   He  cries  "  How   long  ?  how  long  ? " 

"  Bring  him  hither  to  Me."  Here  is  the  solvent  of 
all.  "  From  that  very  hour "  the  boy  is  cured,  the 
father's  heart  is  calmed  and  filled  with  gladness,  the 
cavillers  are  silenced,  the  multitudes  are  satisfied  and 
the  worn-out  faith  of  the  disciples  is  renewed.  Out 
of  chaos,  order,  out  of  tumult,  peace,  by  a  word 
from  Christ.  It  was  a  wilder  sea  than  Galilee  at  its 
stormiest ;  but  at  His  rebuke  the  winds  and  waves 
were  stilled,  and  there  was  a  great  calm. 

So  would  it  be  still,  if  this  generation  were  not 
perverse  and  faithless  in  its  turn — the  world  perverse, 
the  Church  faithless.  Above  the  stormy  sea  of  human 
sin  and  woe  and  helplessness,  there  still  is  heard  the 
lamentation  "  How  long  shall  I  be  with  you  ?  how  long 
shall  I  suffer  you  ? "  Here  are  we  groaning  and 
travailing  in  this  late  age  of  the  world  and  of  the 
Church,  the  worst  kind  of  demons  still  working  their 
will  in  their  poor  victims,  the  cry  of  anxious  parents 


246  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

going  up  for  lost  children,  disciples  blundering  and 
failing  in  well-meant  efforts  to  cast  the  demons  out, 
wise  and  learned  scribes  pointing  at  them  the  finger  of 
scorn,  excited  and  angry  multitudes  demanding  satis- 
faction which  they  fail  to  get — Oh,  if  only  all  could 
hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  man  as  the  multitude 
heard  it  that  day  ;  and  if  we  would  only  with  one 
consent  recognise  the  majesty  of  His  face  and  mien  as 
they  did  (see  Mark  ix.  15),  bring  to  Him  our  plague- 
stricken  ones,  our  devil-possessed,  bring  to  Him  our 
difficulties  and  perplexities,  our  vexed  questions  and 
our  hard  problems,  would  He  not  as  of  old  bring  order 
out  of  our  chaos,  and  out  of  weakness  make  us  strong  ? 
Oh,  for  more  faith,  faith  to  take  hold  of  the  Christ  of 
God,  come  down  from  His  holy  habitation,  and  with  us 
even  to  the  end  of  the  world,  to  bear  the  infirmities 
and  carry  the  sorrows  and  take  away  the  sins  of  men  1 
— then  should  we  be  able  to  say  to  this  mountain  of 
evil  under  which  our  cities  groan,  w  Be  thou  removed, 
and  be  thou  cast  into  the  sea,"  and  it  would  be  done. 
If  only  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  world  to-day  had 
through  all  its  membership  that  faith  which  is  the  only 
avenue  by  which  the  power  of  God  can  reach  the  need 
of  man,  our  social  problems  would  not  long  defy 
solution — "nothing  would  be  impossible";  for  over  the 
millions  of  London,  and  the  masses  everywhere,  there 
broods  the  same  great  heart  of  love  and  longing  which 
prompted  the  gracious  words,  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye 
that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest ; "  and  there  is  not  a  wretched  one  in  all  the 
world  for  whom  there  is  not  a  blessed  ray  of  hope  in 
this  pathetic  wail  which  still  proceeds  from  the  loving 
heart  of  Him  Who  is  the  same  yesterday  and  to-day 
and  for  ever.    "  O  faithless  and  perverse  generation,  how 


xvi.  13-xvii.  21.]      THE  NEW  DEPARTURE.  247 

long  shall  I  be  with  you  ?  how  long  shall  I  suffer  you  ? 
bring  him  hither  to  Me." 

11  Bring  him  hither" — this  is  a  work  of  faith  as  well 
as  a  labour  of  love.  The  Church  on  earth  is  in  the 
same  position  now  as  were  the  nine  when  the  Master 
was  absent  from  them  on  the  mountain-top.  He  has 
ascended  up  on  high,  and  the  work  must  be  carried  on 
by  the  members  of  His  body  on  the  earth ;  and  it  is 
only  in  proportion  to  their  faith  that  any  success  can 
attend  them  in  their  work. 

Is  faith,  then,  all  that  is  necessary  ?  It  is :  provided 
it  be  genuine  living  faith.  This  seems  to  be  the  point 
of  the  reference  to  the  grain  of  mustard  seed.  The 
little  seed,  small  as  it  is,  is  set  in  true  relation  to  the 
great  life-force  of  Mother  Nature,  and  therefore  out  of 
it  by-and-by  there  comes  a  mighty  tree;  and  in  the 
same  way  even  feeble  faith,  if  it  be  genuine,  and  there- 
fore set  in  true  relation  to  the  power  of  the  Father  of 
our  spirits,  becomes  receptive  of  a  force  which  in  the 
end  nothing  can  resist.  But  genuine  living  faith  it 
must  be  :  there  must  be  the  real  opening  up  of  the 
soul  to  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God,  so  that  the  man's 
nature  becomes  a  channel  through  which  unobstructed 
the  grace  and  power  of  God  shall  flow.  It  need  scarcely 
be  remarked  that  the  notion  which  mistakes  faith  for 
mere  belief  of  certain  doctrines  is  utterly  misleading. 
In  nothing  is  the  perversity  of  a  faithless  generation 
more  conspicuous  than  in  the  persistency  with  which 
this  absurd  and  unscriptural  notion  of  faith  holds  its 
ground,  even  with  those  who  are  supposed  to  be 
leaders  of  thought  in  certain  directions.  If  only  that 
mountain  of  folly  could  be  cleared  away,  there  would 
be  a  decided  brightening  of  the  spiritual  outlook ;  for 
then  men  everywhere  would  see  that  the  faith  which 


248  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Christ  expects  of  them,  and  without  which  nothing  can 
be  accomplished,  is  no  mere  intellectual  belief,  but  the 
laying  open  and  leaving  open  of  the  entire  nature  to  the 
;',  Spirit  of  Christ.  Thus  spurious  dead  faith  would  be 
utterly  discredited,  and  genuine  living  faith  would  alone 
be  recognised ;  and  while  the  first  effect  would  be  to 
disclose  the  exceeding  scantiness  of  the  Church's  faith, 
the  result  would  be  that  even  though  what  stood  the 
test  should  be  small  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  it 
would  have  in  it  such  vitality  and  power  that  by-and-by 
it  would  become  mighty  and  all-pervading,  so  that 
before  it  mountains  would  disappear  (ver.  20). 

The  last  words  of  the  paragraph  *  carry  us  back  to 
the  ultimate  necessity  for  prayer.  It  is  plain  that  our 
Lord  refers  to  habitual  prayer.  We  cannot  suppose 
that  these  nine  disciples  had  utterly  neglected  this 
duty ;  but  they  had  failed  to  live  in  an  atmosphere  of 
prayer,  as  was  their  Master's  rule.  We  may  be  sure 
that  they  had  not  prayed  at  the  base  of  the  mountain 
as  their  Lord  had  pr-yed  on  the  summit,  or  they  would 
certainly  not  have  failed  in  their  attempt  to  cure  the 
lunatic  child.  This  demand  for  prayer  is  not  really 
anything  additional  to  the  faith  set  forth  as  the  one 
thing  needful.  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  discus- 
sion lately  as  to  whether  we  can  think  without  words. 
We  shall  not  presume  to  decide  the  question ;  but  it 
may  safely  be  affirmed  that  without  words  we  could  not 
think  to  any  purpose.  And  just  as  the  continuance: 
and  development  of  our  thinking  is  dependent  on 
words,  so  the  continuance  and  development  of  our  faith 
is  dependent  on  prayer.     Is  not  the  weak  spot  of  our 


*  They  are  relegated  to  the  margin  in  R.V.  ;  but  the  parallel  passage 
in  St.  Mark's  Gospel  is  acknowledged  to  be  genuine. 


xvi.13-xvii.21.]      TUB  NEW  DEPARTURE.  249 

modern  Christianity  just  here  ?  In  this  age  of  tear 
and  wear,  bustle  and  excitement,  what  becomes  of 
prayer  ?  If  the  amount  of  true  wrestling  with  God 
in  the  daily  life  of  the  average  Christian  could  be  dis- 
closed, the  wonder  might  be,  not  that  he  accomplishes 
so  little,  but  that  God  is  willing  to  use  him  at  all. 


XIV 

LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM. 
Matt.  xvii.  22 — xviii.  35. 

The  Temple  Tribute  (xvii.  22-27.) 

THE  way  southward  lies  through  Galilee  ;  but  the 
time  of  Galilee's  visitation  is  now  over,  so  Jesus 
avoids  public  attention  as  much  as  possible,  and  gives 
Himself  up  to  the  instruction  of  His  disciples,  especially 
to  impressing  upon  their  minds  the  new  lesson  of 
the  Cross,  which  they  find  it  so  very  hard  to  realise,  or 
even  to  understand.  A  brief  stay  in  Capernaum  was 
to  be  expected ;  and  there  above  all  places  He  could 
not  hope  to  escape  notice ;  but  the  manner  of  it  is  sadly 
significant — no  friendly  greeting,  no  loving  welcome, 
not  even  any  personal  recognition,  only  a  more  or  less 
entangling  question  as  to  the  Temple  tax,  addressed, 
not  to  Christ  Himself,  but  to  Peter :  "  Doth  not  your 
Master  pay  the  half-shekel  ?  "  (R.V.).  The  impulsive 
disciple  showed  his  usual  readiness  by  answering  at 
once  in  the  affirmative.  He  perhaps  thought  it  was 
becoming  his  Master's  dignity  to  show  not  a  moment's 
hesitation  in  such  a  matter;  but  if  so,  he  must  have  seen 
his  mistake  when  he  heard  what  his  Lord  had  to  say  on 
the  subject,  reminding  him  as  it  did  that,  as  Son  of  God, 
He  was  Lord  of  the  Temple,  and  not  tributary  to  it. 
Some  have  felt  a  difficulty  in  reconciling  the  position 


xvii.22-xviii.35-]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  25! 

taken  on  this  occasion  with  His  previous  attitude 
towards  the  law,  notably  on  the  occasion  of  His 
baptism,  when  in  answer  to  John's  remonstrance*  He 
said,  "  It  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness " ; 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  He  has  entered  on 
a  new  stage  of  His  career.  He  has  been  rejected  by 
those  who  acknowledged  allegiance  to  the  Temple, 
virtually  excommunicated,  so  that  He  has  been  con- 
strained to  found  His  Church  outside  the  common- 
wealth of  Israel ;  He  must  therefore  assert  His  own 
rights  and  theirs  in  spiritual  things  (for  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  the  "  half-shekel "  was  not  the  tribute  to 
Caesar,  but  the  impost  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Temple 
worship).  But  while  asserting  His  right  He  would 
not  insist  on  it :  He  would  stand  by  His  disciple's 
word,  and  so  avoid  putting  a  stumbling-block  in  the 
way  of  those  that  were  without,  and  who  therefore 
could  not  be  expected  to  understand  the  position  He 
took.  While  consenting  to  pay  the  tax,  He  would 
provide  it  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  lower  His  lofty 
claims  in  the  view  of  His  disciples,  but  rather  to  illus- 
trate them,  bringing  home,  as  it  must  have  done,  to 
them  all,  and  especially  to  the  "  pilot  of  the  Galilean 
lake,"  that  all  things  were  under  His  feet,  down  to  the 
very  "  fish  of  the  sea,  and  whatsoever  passeth  through 
the  paths  of  the  seas"  (Psalm  viii.  8,  1.  10-12).  The 
difficulty  which  some  feel  in  regard  to  this  miracle,  as 
differing  so  much  in  its  character  from  those  wrought 
in  presence  of  the  people  as  signs  of  the  kingdom  and 
credentials  of  the  King,  is  greatly  relieved,  if  not  alto- 
gether removed,  by  remembering  what  was  the  special 
object  in  view — the  instruction  of  Peter  and  the  other 
disciples — and  observing  how  manifestly  and  peculiarly 
appropriate  it  was  for  this  particular  purpose. 


252  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

The  Little  Ones  (xviii.  1-14). 

The  brief  stay  at  Capernaum  was  signalised  by  some 
other  lessons  of  the  greatest  importance.  First,  as  to 
the  great  and  the  small  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  We 
learn  from  the  other  Evangelists  that  by  the  way  the 
disciples  had  disputed  with  one  another  who  should  be 
the  greatest.  Alas  for  human  frailty,  even  in  the  true 
disciple  !  It  is  most  humiliating  to  think  that,  after  that 
week,  with  its  high  and  holy  lessons,  the  first  thing  we 
hear  of  the  disciples  should  be  their  failure  in  the  very 
particulars  which  had  been  special  features  of  the 
week's  instruction.  Recall  the  two  points  :  the  first 
was  faith  in  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  and 
over  against  it  we  have  from  lack  of  faith  the  signal 
failure  with  the  lunatic  child ;  the  second  was  self- 
denial,  and  over  against  it  we  have  this  unseemly  strife 
as  to  who  should  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom. 

It  is  startling  and  most  sad;  but  is  it  not  true  to 
nature  ?  Is  it  not  after  the  most  solemn  impressions 
that  we  need  to  be  most  watchful  ?  And  how  natural  it 
is,  out  of  what  is  taught  us,  to  choose  and  appropriate 
what  is  welcome,  and,  without  expressly  rejecting, 
simply  to  leave  unassimilated  and  unapplied  what  is 
unwelcome.  The  great  burden  of  the  instruction  for 
the  last  eight  or  ten  days  had  been  the  Cross.  There 
had  been  reference  to  the  rising  again,  and  the  coming 
in  the  glory  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  these  had  been  kept 
strictly  in  the  background,  mentioned  chiefly  to  save 
the  disciples  from  undue  discouragement,  and  even  the 
three  who  had  the  vision  of  glory  on  the  mount  were 
forbidden  to  mention  the  subject  in  the  meantime. 
Yet  they  let  it  fill  the  whole  field  of  view ;  and  though 
when  the  Master  is  with  t'^em  He  still  speaks  to  them 


xvii. 22-xviii. 35-]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  253 


of  the  Cross,  when  they  are  by  themselves  they  dismiss 
the  subject,  and  fall  to  disputing  as  to  who  shall  be  the 
greatest  in  the  kingdom  ! 

How  patiently  and  tenderly  their  Master  deals  with 
them  !  No  doubt  the  same  thought  was  in  His  heart 
again :  "  O  faithless  and  perverse  generation,  how 
long  shall  I  be  with  you  ?  how  long  shall  I  suffer  you  ?  " 
But  He  does  not  even  express  it  now.  He  takes  an 
opportunity,  when  they  are  quietly  together  in  the 
house,  of  teaching  them  the  lesson  they  most  need  in  a 
manner  so  simple  and  beautiful,  so  touching  and  im- 
pressive, as  to  commend  it  to  all  true-hearted  ones  to 
the  end  of  time.  Jesus  called  a  little  child  to  Him, 
"  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them."  Can  we  doubt  that 
they  felt  the  force  of  that  striking  object-lesson  before 
He  said  a  word  ?  Then,  as  we  learn  from  St.  Mark,  to 
whom  we  always  look  for  minute  details,  after  having 
set  him  in  the  midst  of  them  for  them  to  look  at  and 
think  about  for  a  while,  He  took  him  in  His  arms, 
as  if  to  show  them  where  to  look  for  those  who  were 
nearest  to  the  heart  of  the  King  of  heaven. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  suggestive.  It  per- 
fectly suited  the  purpose  He  had  in  view;  but  the 
meaning  and  the  value  of  that  simple  act  were  by  no 
means  limited  to  that  purpose.  It  most  effectually 
rebuked  their  pride  and  selfish  ambition  ;  but  it  was 
far  more  than  a  rebuke — it  was  a  revelation  which 
taught  men  to  appreciate  child-nature  as  they  had 
never  done  before.  It  was  a  new  thought  the  Lord 
Jesus  so  quietly  introduced  into  the  minds  of  men  that 
day,  a  seed-thought  which  had  in  it  the  promise,  not 
only  of  all  that  appreciation  of  child-life  which  is 
characteristic  of  Christendom  to-day,  and  which  has 
rendered  possible  such  poems  as  Vaughan's  "Retreat," 


254  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

and  Wordsworth's  grand  ode  on  "  Immortality/'  but 
also  of  that  appreciation  of  the  broadly  human  as 
distinguished  from  the  mere  accidents  of  birth  or  rank 
or  wealth  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  Christian 
civilisation.  The  enthusiasm  of  humanity  is  all  in  that 
little  act  done  so  unassumingly  in  heedless  Capernaum. 

The  words  spoken  are  in  the  highest  degree  worthy 
of  the  act  they  illustrate.  The  first  lesson  is,  None 
but  the  lowly  are  in  the  kingdom :  "  Except  }^e  be  con- 
verted (from  the  selfish  pride  of  your  hearts),  and 
become  (lowly  and  self-forgetful)  as  little  children,  ye 
shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  A  most 
heart-searching  lesson  !  What  grave  doubts  and  ques- 
tions it  must  have  suggested  to  the  disciples !  They 
had  faith  to  follow  Christ  in  an  external  way;  but  were 
they  really  following  Him?  Had  He  not  said,  "If  any 
man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself"  ?  Were 
they  denying  self?  On  the  other  hand,  however,  we 
need  not  suppose  that  this  selfish  rivalry  was  habitual 
with  them.  It  was  probably  one  of  those  surprises 
which  overtake  the  best  of  Christians ;  so  that  it  was 
not  really  a  proof  that  they  did  not  belong  to  the 
kingdom,  but  only  that  for  the  time  they  were  acting 
inconsistently  with  it ;  and  therefore,  before  they  could 
think  of  occupying  any  place,  even  the  very  lowest 
in  the  kingdom,  they  must  repent,  and  become  as  little 
children. 

The  next  lesson  is,  The  lowliest  in  the  kingdom  are  the 
greatest:  " Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself 
as  this  little  child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  Again  a  most  wonderful  utterance,  now  so 
familiar  to  us,  that  we  are  apt  to  regard  it  as  a  thing  of 
course ;  but  what  a  startling  paradox  it  must  have  been 
to  the  astonished  disciples  that  day  !    Yet,  as  they  looked 


xvii.22-xviii.35-l    I>AST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  255 

at  the  bright,  innocent,  clear-eyed,  self-unconscious  little 
child,  so  simple,  so  trustful,  there  must  have  come  a 
response  from  that  which  was  deepest  and  best  within 
them  to  their  Master's  words.  And  though  the  thought 
was  new  to  them  at  the  time,  it  did  come  home  to  them : 
it  passed  into  their  nature,  and  showed  itself  afterwards 
in  precious  fruit,  at  which  the  wTorld  still  wonders. 
They  did  not  indeed  get  over  their  selfishness  all  at 
once;  but  how  grandly  were  they  cured  of  it  when 
their  training  was  finished  1  If  there  is  one  thing  more 
characteristic  of  the  apostles  in  their  after  life  than  any 
other,  it  is  their  self-forgetfulness — their  self-effacement, 
we  may  say.  Where  does  Matthew  ever  say  a  word 
about  the  sayings  or  doings  of  Matthew  ?  Even  John, 
who  was  nearest  of  all  to  the  heart  of  the  Saviour,  and 
with  Him  in  all  His  most  trying  hours,  can  write  a 
whole  gospel  without  ever  mentioning  his  own  name ; 
and  when  he  has  occasion  to  speak  of  John  the  Baptist 
does  it  as  if  there  were  no  other  John  in  existence. 
So  was  it  with  them  all.  We  must  not  forget  that,  so 
far  as  this  lesson  of  self-denial  is  concerned,  they  were 
only  beginners  now  (see  xvi.  21);  but  after  they  had 
completed  their  course  and  received  the  Pentecostal 
seal,  they  did  not  disgrace  their  Teacher  any  more: 
they  did  then  really  and  nobly  deny  self;  and  thus 
did  they  at  last  attain  true  greatness  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

So  far  we  have  what  may  be  called  the  Saviour's 
direct  answer  to  the  question  as  to  the  greatest;  but 
He  cannot  leave  the  subject  without  also  setting  before 
them  the  claims  of  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
He  has  shown  them  how  to  be  great :  He  now  teaches 
them  how  to  treat  the  small.     The  two  things  lie  very 


256  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

close  together.  The  man  who  makes  much  of  himself  is 
sure  to  make  light  of  others ;  and  he  who  is  ambitious 
for  worldly  greatness  will  have  little  regard  for  those 
who  in  his  eyes  are  small.  The  lesson,  then,  would 
have  been  incomplete  had  He  not  vindicated  the  claims 
of  the  little  ones. 

It  is  manifest,  from  the  whole  strain  of  the  passage 
which  follows,  that  the  reference  is  not  exclusively  to 
children  in  years,  but  quite  as  much  to  children  in 
spiritual  stature,  or  in  position  and  influence  in  the 
Church.  The  little  ones  are  those  who  are  small  in 
the  sense  corresponding  to  that  of  the  word  "  great "  in 
the  disciples'  question.  They  are  those,  therefore,  that 
are  small  and  weak,  and  (as  it  is  sometimes  expressed) 
of  no  account  in  the  Church,  whether  this  be  due  to 
tender  years  or  to  slender  abilities  or  to  scanty  means 
or  to  little  faith. 

What  our  Lord  says  on  this  subject  comes  evidently 
from  the  very  depths  of  His  heart.  He  is  not  content 
with  making  sure  that  the  little  ones  shall  receive  as 
good  a  welcome  as  the  greatest :  they  must  have  a 
special  welcome,  just  because  they  are  small.  He 
identifies  Himself  with  them — with  each  separate  little 
one :  "  Whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  My 
name  receiveth  Me."  What  a  grand  security  for  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  the  small !  what  a  word  for 
parents  and  teachers,  for  men  of  influence  and  wealth  in 
the  Church  in  their  relations  to  the  weak  and  poor! 

Then  follow  two  solemn  warnings,  wrought  out  with 
great  fulness  and  energy.  The  first  is  against  putting 
a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  even  one  of  these  little 
ones — an  offence  which  may  be  committed  without  any 
thought  of  the  consequences.  Perhaps  this  is  the  very 
reason  why  the  Master  feels  it  necessary  to  use  language 


xvii.22-xviii.35-]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  257 

so  terribly  strong,  that  He  may,  if  possible,  arouse  His 
disciples  to  some  sem-e  of  their  responsibility  :  "Whoso 
shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones  which  believe  in 
Me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were 
hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in 
the  depth  of  the  sea."  How  jealously  He  guards  the 
little  ones !  Verily  he  that  toucheth  them  "  toucheth 
the  apple  of  His  eye." 

From  the  corresponding  passage  in  St.  Mark,  it  would 
appear  that  Christ  had  in  view,  not  only  such  differ- 
ences of  age  and  ability  and  social  position  as  are 
found  in  every  community  of  disciples,  but  also  such 
differences  as  are  found  between  one  company  and 
another  of  professing  Christians  (see  Mark  ix.  38-42). 
This  infuses  a  new  pathos  into  the  sad  lament  with 
which  He  forecasts  the  future:  "Woe  unto  the  world 
because  of  offences  !  for  it  must  needs  be  that  offences 
come;  but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence 
cometh!"  The  solemn  warnings  which  follow,  not 
given  now  for  the  first  time  (see  chap.  v.  29,  30), 
coming  in  this  connection,  convey  the  important  lesson 
that  the  only  effectual  safeguard  against  causing  others 
to  stumble  is  to  take  heed  to  our  own  ways,  and  be 
ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  in  order  to  maintain  our 
personal  purity,  simplicity  and  uprightness  (vv.  8,  9). 
How  often  alas  1  in  the  history  of  the  Church  has  the 
cutting  off  been  applied  in  the  wrong  direction  ;  when 
the  strong,  in  the  exercise  of  an  authority  which  the 
Master  would  never  have  sanctioned,  have  passed  sen- 
tence of  excommunication  against  some  defenceless  little 
one;  whereas  if  they  had  laid  to  heart  these  solemn 
warnings,  they  would  have  cut  off,  not  one  of  Christ's 
members,  but  one  of  their  own — the  harsh  hand,  the 
hasty  foot,  the  jealous  eye,  which  caused  them  to  stumble  I 

17 


258  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

The  other  warning  is :  u  Take  heed  that  ye  despise 
not  one  of  these  little  ones."  To  treat  them  so  is  to 
do  the  reverse  of  what  is  done  in  heaven.  Be  their 
guardian  angels  rather,  if  you  would  have  the  approval 
of  Him  Who  reigns  above ;  for  their  angels  are  those 
who  always  have  the  place  of  honour  there.  Is  there 
not  something  very  touching  in  this  home  reference, 
"My  Father  which  is  in  heaven  "  ? — especially  when  He 
is  about  to  refer  to  the  mission  of  mercy  which  made 
Him  an  exile  from  His  home.  And  this  reference 
gives  Him  an  additional  plea  against  despising  one  of 
these  little  ones  ;  for  not  only  are  the  highest  angels 
their  honoured  guardians,  but  they  are  those  whom  the 
Son  of  man  has  come  to  seek  and  to  save.  The  little 
lamb  which  you  despise  is  one  for  whom  the  heavenly 
Shepherd  has  thought  it  worth  His  while  to  leave  all 
the  rest  of  His  flock  that  He  may  go  after  it,  and  seek 
it  on  the  lonely  mountains,  whither  it  has  strayed,  and 
over  whose  recovery  He  has  greater  joy  than  even  in 
the  safety  of  all  the  rest.  The  climax  is  reached  when 
He  carries  thoughts  above  the  angels,  above  even  the 
Son  of  man,  to  the  will  of  the  Father  (now  it  is  your 
Father ;  for  He  desires  to  bring  to  bear  upon  them  the 
full  force  of  that  tender  relationship  which  it  is  now 
their  privilege  to  claim)  :  "  Even  so  it  is  not  the  will 
of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  that  one  of  these 
little  ones  should  perish." 

Trespasses  (xviii.  15-35). 

The  transition  is  natural  from  those  solemn  words 
in  which  cur  Lord  has  warned  His  disciples  against 
offending  "one  of  these  little  ones,"  to  the  instructions 
which  follow  as  to  how  they  should  treat  those  of  their 
brethren   who   might   trespass   against   them.      These 


xvii.22-xviii.35-]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  259 

instructions,  occupying  the  rest  of  this  chapter,  are  of 
perennial  interest  and  value,  so  long  as  it  must  needs 
be  that  offences  come. 

The  trespasses  referred  to  are  of  course  real.  Much 
heartburning  and  much  needless  trouble  often  come 
of  "  offences "  which  exist  only  in  imagination.  A 
" sensitive"  disposition  (often  only  another  name  fori 
one  that  is  uncharitable  and  suspicious)  leads  to  the 
imputing  of  bad  motives  where  none  exist,  and  the 
finding  of  sinister  meanings  in  the  most  innocent  acts. 
Such  offences  are  not  worthy  of  consideration  at  all. 
It  is  further  to  be  observed  that  our  Lord  is  not 
dealing  with  ordinary  quarrels,  where  there  are  faults 
on  both  sides,  in  which  case  the  first  step  would  be  not 
to  tell  the  brother  his  fault,  but  to  acknowledge  our  own. 
The  trespass,  then,  being  real,  and  the  fault  all  on  the 
other  side,  how  is  the  disciple  of  Christ  to  act  ?  The 
paragraphs  which  follow  make  it  clear. 

11  The  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then 
peaceable ; "  accordingly  we  are  first  shown  how  to 
proceed  in  order  to  preserve  the  purity  of  the  Church. 
Then  instructions  are  given  with  a  view  to  preserve 
the  peace  of  the  Church.  The  first  paragraph  shows 
how  to  exercise  discipline ;  the  second  lays  down  the 
Christian  rule  of  forgiveness. 

M  If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee/* — what  ? 
Pay  no  heed  to  it  ?  Since  it  takes  two  to  make  a 
quarrel,  is  it  best  simply  to  let  him  alone?  That 
might  be  the  best  way  to  deal  with  offences  on  the 
part  of  those  that  are  without ;  but  it  would  be  a  sad 
want  of  true  brotherly  love  to  take  this  easy  way  with 
a  fellow-disciple.  It  is  certainly  better  to  overlook  an 
injury  than  to  resent  it ;  yet  our  Lord  shows  a  more 


260  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

excellent  way.  His  is  not  the  way  of  selfish  resent- 
ment, nor  of  haughty  indifference;  but  of  thoughtful 
concern  for  the  welfare  of  him  who  has  done  the 
injury.  That  this  is  the  motive  in  the  entire  proceed- 
ing is  evident  from  the  whole  tone  of  the  paragraph, 
in  illustration  of  which  reference  may  be  made  to  the 
way  in  which  success  is  regarded  :  "  If  he  shall  hear 
thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  brother."  If  a  man  sets  out 
with  the  object  of  gaining  his  cause  or  getting  satisfac- 
tion, he  had  better  let  it  alone;  but  if  he  wishes  not 
to  gain  a  barren  triumph  for  himself,  but  to  gain 
his  brother,  let  him  proceed  according  to  the  wise 
instructions  of  our  Lord  and  Master. 

There  are  four  steps:  (i)  "Go  and  tell  him  his 
fault  between  thee  and  him  alone."  Do  not  wait  till 
he  comes  to  apologise,  as  is  the  rule  laid  down  by  the 
rabbis,  but  go  to  him  at  once.  Do  not  think  of  your 
own  dignity.  Think  only  of  your  Master's  honour  and 
your  brother's  welfare.  How  many  troubles,  how  many 
scandals  might  be  prevented  in  the  Christian  Church,  if 
this  simple  direction  were  faithfully  and  lovingly  carried 
out !  In  some  cases,  however,  this  may  fail ;  and  then 
the  next  step  is  :  (2)  "  Take  with  thee  one  or  two  more, 
that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every  word 
may  be  established."  The  process  here  passes  from 
private  dealing ;  still  there  must  be  no  undue  publicity. 
If  the  reference  to  two  or  at  most  three  (see  R.V.)  fail, 
it  becomes  a  duty  to  (3)  u  tell  it  unto  the  church," 
in  the  hope  that  he  may  submit  to  its  decision.  If  he 
decline,  there  is  nothing  left  but  (4)  excommunication  : 
"  Let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a 
publican." 

The  mention  of  church  censure  naturally  leads  to 
a  declaration  of  the  power  vested  in  the  church  in  the 


xvii.22-xviii.35-]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  261 

matter  of  discipline.  Our  Lord  had  already  given  such 
a  declaration  to  Peter  alone ;  now  it  is  given  to  the 
church  as  a  whole  in  its  collective  capacity  :  "  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  ye  shall 
loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven."  But  the 
question  comes  :  What  is  the  church  in  its  collective 
capacity  ?  If  it  is  to  have  this  power  of  discipline,  of 
the  admission  and  rejection  of  members — a  power  which, 
rightly  exercised  on  earth,  is  ratified  in  heaven — it  is 
important  to  know  something  as  to  its  constitution. 
This  much,  indeed,  we  know :  that  it  is  an  assembly 
of  believers.  But  how  large  must  the  assembly  be? 
What  are  the  marks  of  the  true  church  ? 

These  questions  are  answered  in  vv.  19  and  20.  It 
is  made  very  plain  that  it  is  no  question  of  numbers, 
but  of  union  with  one  another  and  the  Lord.  Let  it  be 
remembered  that  the  whole  discourse  has  grown  out  of 
the  strife  with  one  another  which  should  be  the  greatest. 
Our  Lord  has  already  shown  that,  instead  of  ambition 
to  be  the  greatest,  there  must  be  readiness  to  be  the 
least.  He  now  makes  it  plain  that  instead  of  strife  and 
division  there  must  be  agreement,  unity  .in  heart  and 
desire.  But  if  only  there  be  this  unity,  this  blending 
of  hearts  in  prayer,  there  is  found  the  true  idea  of  the 
Church.  Two  disciples  in  full  spiritual  agreement,  with 
hearts  uplifted  to  the  Father  in  heaven,  and  Christ 
present  with  them, — there  is  what  may  be  called  the 
primitive  cell  of  the  Church,  the  body  of  Christ  com- 
plete in  itself,  but  in  its  rudimentary  or  germinal  form. 
It  comes  to  this,  that  the  presence  of  Christ  with  His 
people  and  of  His  spirit  in  them,  uniting  them  with 
one  another  and  with  Him,  is  that  which  constitutes 
the  true  and  living  church ;  and  it  is  only  when  thus 


262  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 


met  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  acting  in  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  that  assemblies  of  believers,  whether  large  or 
small,  have  any  guarantee  that  their  decrees  on  earth 
are  registered  in  heaven,  or  that  the  promise  shall  be 
fulfilled  to  them,  that  what  they  ask  "  shall  be  done  for 
them  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

These  words  were  spoken  in  the  day  of  small  things, 
when  the  members  of  the  Church  were  reckoned  by 
units ;  therefore  it  is  a  mistake  to  use  them  as  if  very 
small  gatherings  for  prayer  were  especially  pleasing 
to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church.  It  does  indeed 
remain  true,  for  the  encouragement  of  the  faithful  few, 
that  wherever  two  or  three  are  met  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  He  is  there;  but  that  makes  it  no  less  dis- 
appointing when  the  numbers  might  be  reasonably 
expected  to  be  very  much  larger.  Because  our  Lord 
said,  u  Better  two  of  you  agreed  than  the  whole  twelve 
at  strife,"  does  it  follow  that  two  or  three  will  have 
the  power  in  their  united  prayers  which  two  or  three 
hundred  would  have  ?  The  stress  is  not  on  the  figure, 
but  on  the  agreement. 

The  words  "There  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them  "  are 
very  striking  as  a  manifestation  of  that  strange  con- 
sciousness of  freedom  from  limitations  of  time  and 
place,  which  the  Lord  Jesus  felt  and  often  expressed 
even  in  the  days  of  His  flesh.  It  is  the  same  con- 
sciousness which  appears  in  the  answer  to  the  cavil 
of  the  Jews  as  to  the  intimacy  with  Abraham  He 
seemed  to  them  to  claim, — "  Before  Abraham  was,  I 
Am."  As  a  practical  matter  also  it  suggests  that  we 
do  not  need  to  ask  and  wait  for  the  presence  of  the 
Master,  when  we  are  truly  met  in  His  name.  It  is 
not  He  that  needs  to  be  entreated  to  draw  near  to 
us  :  "  There  am  I." 


xvii. 22-xviii. 35.]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  263 

So  far  the  directions  given  have  been  with  a  view 
to  the  good  of  the  offending  brother  and  the  honour 
of  Christ  and  His  cause.  It  remains  to  show  how 
the  offended  person  is  to  act  on  his  part.  Here  the 
rule  is  very  simple :  forgive  him.  What  satisfaction, 
then,  is  the  offended  party  to  get  ?  The  satisfaction  of 
forgiving.     That  is  all ;  and  it  is  enough. 

It  will  be  observed,  indeed,  that  our  Lord,  in  His 
discourse  up  to  the  point  we  have  reached,  has  said 
nothing  directly  about  forgiveness.  It  is  fairly  implied, 
however,  in  the  manner  of  process,  in  the  very  first 
act  of  it  indeed ;  for  no  one  will  go  to  an  offending 
brother  with  the  object  of  gaining  him,  unless  he  have 
first  forgiven  him  in  his  heart.  Peter  appears  to  have 
been  revolving  this  in  his  mind,  and  in  doing  so  he 
cannot  get  over  a  difficulty  as  to  the  limit  of  forgive- 
ness. He  was  familiar,  of  course,  with  the  rabbinical 
limit  of  the  third  offence,  after  which  the  obligation 
to  forgiveness  ceased ;  and,  impressed  with  the  spirit 
of  his  Master's  teaching,  he  no  doubt  thought  he  was 
showing  great  liberality  in  more  than  doubling  the 
number  of  times  the  offence  might  be  repeated  and 
still  be  considered  pardonable :  "  Lord,  how  oft  shall 
my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him  ?  till 
seven  times  ?  "  It  has  been  thought  that  some  of  his 
brethren  had  been  treating  Peter  badly,  so  that  his 
patience  was  sorely  tried.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the 
question  was  not  at  all  unnatural.  But  it  was  founded 
on  a  fallacy,  which  our  Lord  cleared  away  by  His 
answer,  and  thoroughly  exposed  by  means  of  the 
striking  parable  which  follows.  The  fallacy  was  this  : 
that  we  have  a  right  to  resent  an  injury,  that  in 
refraining  from  this  we  are  forbearing  to  exercise  our 
right,  and  consequently  that  there  is  a  limit  beyond 


264  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

which  we  have  no  call  to  exercise  such  forbearance. 
Our  Lord  by  His  answer  clears  away  the  limit,  and 
makes  the  obligat:on  unconditional  and  universal 
(ver.  22). 

The  parable  shows  the  reason  why  there  should  be 
no  limit—  viz.,  that  all  believers,  or  members  of  the 
Church,  by  accepting  from  God  the  unlimited  forgive- 
ness He  has  extended  to  them,  are  thereby  implicitly 
pledged  to  extend  a  like  unlimited  forgiveness  to  others. 
There  is  no  duty  on  which  our  Lord  insists  more 
strenuously  than  this  duty  of  forgiving  those  who 
trespass  against  us,  always  connecting  closely  together 
our  forgiving  and  our  being  forgiven ;  and  in  this 
parable  it  is  set  in  the  strongest  light. 

The  greatest  offence  of  which  our  fellow-man  can  be 
guilty  is  as  nothing  to  the  sins  we  have  committed 
against  God.  The  proportion  suggested  is  very  start- 
ling. The  larger  sum  is  more  than  two  millions  sterling 
on  the  lowest  computation  ;  the  smaller  is  not  much 
more  than  four  guineas.  This  is  no  exaggeration. 
Seven  times  altogether  for  a  brother's  offences  seems 
almost  unpardonable :  do  we  never  offend  against  God 
as  many  times  in  a  single  hour  ?  Then  think  of  the 
days,  and  the  years !  This  is  a  startling  thought  on 
the  one  side ;  but  how  cheering  on  the  other  !  For 
the  immensity  of  the  debt  does  not  interfere  in  the 
slightest  with  the  freeness  and  fulness  and  absolute- 
ness of  the  forgiveness.  Verily  there  is  no  more 
satisfying  or  reassuring  presentation  of  the  gospel 
than  this  parable,  especially  these  very  words,  which 
rang  like  a  knell  of  doom  in  the  unmerciful  servant's 
ear:  "I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt."  But  just  in  pro- 
portion to  the  grandeur  of  the  gospel  here  unfolded 
is  the  rigour  of  the  requirement,  that  as  we  have  been 


xvil.22-xviii.35-]    LAST  WORDS  AT  CAPERNAUM.  265 

forgiven  so  must  we  forgive.  While  we  gladly  take 
the  abounding  comfort,  let  us  not  miss  the  stern 
lesson,  evidently  given  with  the  very  strongest  feeling. 
Our  Lord  paints  the  picture  of  this  man  in  the  most 
hideous  colours,  so  as  to  fill  our  minds  and  hearts 
with  a  proper  loathing  of  the  conduct  of  those  he 
represents.  The  same  intention  is  apparent  in  the  very 
severe  terms  in  wThich  the  punishment  is  denounced  : 
"  His  lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to  the  tor- 
mentors." After  this  how  awful  is  the  closing  sentence  : 
"  So  likewise  shall  My  heavenly  Father  do  also  unto 
you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every  one  his 
brother  their  trespasses." 

Is  that  tender  name  of  Father  out  of  place?  By 
no  means ;  for  is  it  not  the  outraged  love  of  God 
that  cries  out  against  the  unforgiving  soul  ?  And  the 
words  "  from  your  hearts," — are  they  not  too  hard  on 
poor  frail  human  nature  ?  It  is  easy  enough  to  grant 
forgiveness  with  the  lips, — but  from  the  heart  ?  Yet 
so  it  stands  written ;  and  it  only  shows  the  need  we 
have,  not  only  of  unmeasured  mercy,  but  of  unmeasured 
grace.  Nothing  but  the  love  of  Christ  can  constrain 
to  such  forgiveness.  The  warning  was  a  solemn  one, 
but  it  need  have  no  terror  for  those  who  have  truly 
learned  the  lesson  of  the  Cross,  and  welcomed  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  to  reign  in  their  hearts.  "  I  can  do 
all  things  through  Christ  Who  strengtheneth  me." 

There  is  an  admirable  fulness  and  harmony  in 
Christ's  teaching  on  this  subject,  as  on  every  other. 
The  duty  of  unlimited  forgiveness  is  most  plainly 
enjoined ;  but  not  that  weak  forgiveness  which  con- 
sists simply  in  permitting  a  man  to  trespass  as  he 
chooses.      Forgiveness   and    faithfulness   go   hand   in 


266  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

hand.  The  forgiveness  of  the  Christian  is  in  no  case 
to  be  the  offspring  of  a  weak  unmanly  indifference  to 
wrong.  It  is  to  spring  from  gratitude  and  love :  grati- 
tude to  God,  Who  has  forgiven  his  enormous  debt, 
and  love  to  the  enemy  who  has  wronged  him.  It 
must  be  combined  with  that  faithfulness  and  fortitude 
which  constrains  him  to  go  to  the  offending  party  and 
frankly,  though  kindly,  tell  him  his  fault.  Christ's 
doctrine  of  forgiveness  has  not  an  atom  of  meanness 
in  it,  and  His  doctrine  of  faithfulness  has  not  a  spark 
of  malice.  "The  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first 
pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated, 
full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  partiality  and 
without  hypocrisy.  And  the  fruit  of  righteousness  is 
sown  in  peace  of  them  that  make  peace." 


XV. 

LAST  DAYS  TN  PERM  A. 
Matt.  xix.  I— xx.  16. 

THERE  were  two  main  roads  from  Galilee  to 
Jerusalem.  One  passed  through  Samaria,  on 
the  west  of  the  Jordan,  the  other  through  Peraea,  east 
of  it.  It  was  by  the  former  that  our  Lord  went  north- 
ward from  Judaea  to  begin  His  work  in  Galilee ;  it 
is  by  the  other  that  He  now  goes  southward  to  com- 
plete His  sacrifice  in  Jerusalem.  As  "  He  must  needs 
go  through  Samaria"  then,  so  He  must  needs  go 
through  Persea  now.  The  main  thought  in  His  mind 
is  the  journey ;  but  He  cannot  pass  through  the  large 
and  important  district  beyond  the  Jordan  without 
bringing  the  kingdom  of  heaven  near  to  the  people, 
and  accordingly  we  read  that  "great  multitudes  fol- 
lowed Him,  and  He  healed  them  there."  We  learn 
from  St.  Luke's  Gospel  that  "  He  went  through  the 
cities  and  villages  teaching,  and  journeying  towards 
Jerusalem  " ;  and  from  the  details  there  recorded,  espe- 
cially the  mission  of  the  seventy  which  belongs  to  that 
period,  it  is  evident  that  these  circuits  in  Peraea  must 
have  occupied  several  months.  Concerning  the  work 
of  these  months  our  Evangelist  is  silent,  just  as  he  was 
silent  concerning  the  earlier  work  in  Judaea  and  Samaria, 
as  recorded  by  St.  John.  We  are  reminded  by  this 
of  the  fragmentariness  of  these  memorials  of  our  Lord ; 


THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 


and  when  we  consider  how  much  is  omitted  in  all  the 
narratives  (see  John  xxi.  25)  we  can  understand  how 
difficult  it  is  to  form  a  closely  connected  history  without 
any  gaps  between,  and  with  accurately  fitted  joinings 
at  the  intersections  of  the  different  accounts. 

There  is,  however,  no  difficulty  here;  for  by  com- 
parison with  the  third  Gospel  we  find  that  our  Evangelist 
omits  all  the  circuits  in  Peraea,  and  takes  up  the  story 
again  when  our  Lord  is  just  about  to  leave  that  region 
for  Jerusalem.  When  we  take  his  point  of  view,  we 
can  see  how  natural  this  was.  It  was  his  special 
calling  to  give  a  full  account  of  the  work  in  Galilee. 
Hence  the  haste  with  which  he  passes  from  what  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  tell  of  the  early  years  in  the 
south  till  the  work  in  Galilee  began  ;  and  in  the  same 
way,  now  that  the  work  in  Galilee  is  done,  he  hastens 
to  the  great  crisis  in  Jerusalem.  In  following  the 
journey  southward  he  lingers  only  in  two  places,  each 
of  them  associated  with  special  memories.  The  one  is 
Capernaum,  where  Jesus,  as  we  have  seen,  tarried  for 
a  few  days  before  taking  final  leave  of  Galilee ;  the 
other  is  the  place  beyond  Jordan,  in  the  region  where 
in  baptism  He  had  solemnly  entered  on  His  work  (cf. 
John  x.  40),  where  again  He  remains  for  a  brief  period 
before  going  up  to  Jerusalem  for  the  last  time. 

Marriage  and  Divorce  (w.  3-12). 

There  it  was,  and  then,  that  the  Pharisees  came  to 
Him  with  their  entangling  question  concerning  divorce. 
To  know  how  entangling  it  was  it  is  necessary  to 
remember  that  there  was  a  dispute  at  the  time  between 
two  rival  schools  of  Jewish  theology — the  school  of 
Hillel  and  that  of  Shammai — in  regard  to  the  inter- 
pretation of  Deut.  xxiv.    I.     The  one  school  held  that 


xix.  l-xx.  16.]  LAST  DAYS  IN  FER&A.  269 

divorce  could  be  had  on  the  most  trivial  grounds ;  the 
other  restricted  it  to  cases  of  grievous  sin.  Hence 
the  question :  "  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away  his 
wife  for  every  cause  ? "  The  answer  Jesus  gives  is 
remarkable,  not  only  for  the  wisdom  and  courage  with 
which  He  met  their  attack,  but  for  the  manner  in  which 
He  availed  Himself  of  the  opportunity  to  set  the 
institution  of  marriage  on  its  true  foundation,  and  give 
perpetual  security  to  His  followers  for  the  sanctity  o 
home,  by  laying  down  in  the  clearest  and  strongest 
manner  the  position  that  marriage  is  indissoluble  from 
its  very  nature  and  from  its  divine  appointment 
(vv.  4-6).  As  we  read  these  clear  and  strong  utter- 
ances, let  us  bear  in  mind,  not  only  that  the  laxity  which 
unhappily  prevailed  in  Rome  had  extended  to  Palestine, 
but  that  the  monarch  of  the  country  through  which 
our  Lord  was  passing  was  himself  one  of  the  most 
flagrant  offenders.  How  inspiring  it  is  to  think  that 
then  and  there  should  have  been  erected  that  grand 
bulwark  of  a  virtuous  home  :  "  What  God  hath  joined 
together,  let  not  man  put  asunder." 

The  Pharisees  must  have  felt  that  He  spoke  with 
authority ;  but  they  are  anxious  not  to  lose  their  oppor- 
tunity of  getting  Him  into  a  difficulty,  so  they  press  Him 
with  the  disputed  passage  in  Deuteronomy :  "  Why  did 
Moses,  then,  command  to  give  a  writing  of  divorcement, 
and  to  put  her  away  ?  "  Our  Lord's  answer  exposes 
the  double  fallacy  lurking  in  the  question.  "Why 
did  Moses  ccnmand?"  He  did  not  command;  he 
only  suffered  it — it  was  not  to  further  divorce,  but  to 
check  it,  that  he  made  the  regulation  about  the  "  writing 
of  divorcement."  I  And  then,  not  only  was  it  a  mere 
matter  of  sufferance, — it  was  a  sufferance  granted 
"because  of  the  hardness  of  your  hearts."     Since  things 


270  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

were  so  bad  among  your  fathers  in  the  matter  of 
marriage,  it  was  better  that  there  should  be  a  legal 
process  than  that  the  poor  wives  should  be  dismissed 
without  it;  but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so — it 
was  not  intended  that  wives  should  be  dismissed  at 
all.  Marriage  is  in  itself  indissoluble,  except  by  death 
or  by  that  which  in  its  very  nature  is  the  rupture  of 
marriage  (s/er.  9). 

The  wide  prevalence  of  lax  views  on  this  subject  is 
made  evident  by  the  perplexity  of  the  disciples.  They 
were  not  at  all  prepared  for  such  stringency,  so  they 
venture  to  suggest  that  if  that  is  to  be  the  law,  better 
not  marry  at  all.  The  answer  our  Lord  gives,  while 
it  does  admit  that  there  are  circumstances  in  which 
celibacy  is  preferable,  plainly  intimates  that  it  is  only 
in  quite  exceptional  cases.  Only  one  of  the  three 
cases  he  mentions  is  voluntary ;  and  while  it  is  certainly 
granted  that  circumstances  might  arise  in  which  for  the 
kingdom  of  heaven's  sake  celibacy  might  be  chosen 
(cf.  I  Cor.  vii.  26),  even  then  it  must  be  only  in  cases 
where  there  is  special  grace,  and  such  full  preoccupa- 
tion with  the  things  of  the  kingdom  as  to  render  it 
natural ;  for  such  seems  to  be  the  import  of  the 
cautionary  words  with  which  the  paragraph  closes : 
"  He  that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it."  How 
completely  at  variance  with  this  wise  caution  have 
been  the  Romish  decrees  in  regard  to  the  celibacy  of 
the  clergy  may  go  without  saying. 

The  Children  (vv.   13-15). 

"  Then  were  there  brought  unto  Him  little  children" 
— a  happy  interruption  !  The  Master  has  just  been 
laying  the  solid  foundations  of  the  Christian  home;  and 
now  the  group  of  men  by  whom  He  is  surrounded  is 


six.  I -xx.  1 6.  J  LAST  DAYS  IN  PERM  A.  271 


joined  by  a  troop  of  mothers,  some  carrying  infants  in 
their  arms  (for  the  passage  in  St.  Luke  expressly 
mentions  infants),  and  some  leading  their  little  ones  by 
the  hand,  to  receive  His  blessing.  The  timeousness 
of  this  arrival  does  not  seem  to  have  struck  the 
disciples.  Their  hearts  had  not  yet  been  opened  to 
the  lambs  of  the  fold,  notwithstanding  the  great  lesson 
at  Capernaum.  With  as  little  regard  for  the  feelings 
of  the  mothers  as  for  the  rights  of  the  children,  they 
"rebuked  those  that  brought  them,"  (Mark  x.  13)  and 
motioned  them  away.  That  this  wounded  the  heart  of 
the  Saviour  appears  in  His  answer,  which  is  stronger,  as 
indicating  displeasure,  than  is  shown  in  our  translation  ; 
while  in  the  second  Gospel  it  is  expressly  mentioned 
that  Jesus  "was  much  displeased."  How  can  we 
thank  the  Lord  enough  for  that  sore  displeasure  ?  A 
distinguished  opponent  of  Christianity  has  lately  been 
asking  whether  he  is  expected  to  accept  the  kind  and 
peaceful  Jesus,  Who  smiles  in  one  place,  or  the  stern 
Judge,  Who  frowns  in  another — with  the  evident  impli- 
cation that  it  is  impossible  to  accept  both.  How  any 
person  of  intelligence  can  find  difficulty  in  supposing 
that  Christ  could  without  inconsistency  be  either  gentle 
or  stern,  as  the  occasion  required,  is  very  marvellous ; 
but  here  is  a  case  in  which  the  sternness  and  gentleness 
are  blended  together  in  one  act;  and  who  will  say 
that  there  is  the  least  incompatibility  between  them  ? 
He  was  much  displeased  with  the  disciples  ;  His  heart 
was  overflowing  with  tenderness  to  the  children  ;  and 
in  that  moment  of  conflicting  feeling  He  utters  that 
immortal  sentence,  these  noblest  and  now  most  familiar 
of  household  words,  "  Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid 
them  not,  to  come  unto  Me :  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven." 


272  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

The  rights  of  woman  had  been  implicitly  taught  in 
the  law  of  marriage  carried  back  to  the  original  creation 
of  male  and  female  ;  the  treatment  of  woman  had  been 
vindicated  from  the  rudeness  of  the  disciples  which 
would  have  driven  the  mothers  away ;  and  this  recep- 
tion of  the  children,  and  these  words  of  welcome  into 
the  kingdom  for  all  such  little  ones,  are  the  charter  of 
the  children's  rights  and  privileges.  It  is  very  plain 
that  Christ  has  opened  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  not  only 
to  all  believers,  but  to  their  children  as  well.  That 
"  the  kingdom  of  heaven  "  is  here  used  in  its  ordinary 
sense  throughout  this  Gospel,  as  referring  to  the 
heavenly  kingdom  which  Christ  had  come  to  establish 
upon  earth,  cannot  be  denied ;  but  it  is  a  very  fair 
inference  from  the  Saviour's  words  that,  seeing  the 
children  are  acknowledged  as  having  their  place  in  the 
kingdom  on  earth,  those  of  them  who  pass  away  from 
earth  in  childhood  certainly  find  as  sure  and  cordial  a 
welcome  to  the  kingdom  above. 

"The  holy  to  the  holiest  leads, 
The  kingdoms  are  but  one." 

The  porch  is  on  earth,  the  palace  is  in  heaven ;  and  we 
may  be  very  sure  that  all  whom  the  King  acknowledges 
in  the  porch  shall  be  welcome  in  the  palace. 

What  a  rebuke  in  these  words  of  our  Lord  to  those 
who  deal  with  children  indiscriminately,  as  if  they  were 
all  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  How  it  must  grieve 
the  Saviour's  heart  when  lambs  of  His  own  fold  who 
may  have  been  His  from  their  earliest  infancy  are 
taught  that  they  are  utterly  lost,  and  must  be  lost  for 
ever,  unless  they  pass  through  some  extraordinary 
change,  which  is  to  them  only  a  nameless  mystery.  It 
is  a  mistake  to  think  that  children  as  a  rule  need  to 


*ix.  i-xx.  1 6.]  LAST  DAYS  IN  PER  ALA.  273 

be  dragged  to  the  Saviour,  or  frightened  into  trusting 
Him  :  what  they  need  is  to  be  suffered  to  come.  It  is 
so  natural  for  them  to  come,  that  all  they  need  is  very 
gentle  leading,  and  above  all  nothing  done  to  hinder 
or  discourage  them :  "  Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid 
them  not,  to  come  unto  Me :  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven." 

The  Rich  Young  Man  (w.  16-22). 

Another  inference  from  these  precious  words  of 
Christ  is  the  importance  of  seeking  to  win  the  children 
for  Christ  while  yet  they  are  children,  ere  the  evil  days 
come,  or  the  years  draw  nigh,  when  they  will  be  apt 
to  say  they  have  no  pleasure  in  Him.  It  is  a  sad  thing 
to  think  how  soon  the  susceptibility  of  the  child-nature 
may  harden  into  the  impenetrabilit}'  which  is  sometimes 
found  even  in  youth.  Is  there  not  a  suggestion  of 
this  in  the  story  of  the  young  man  which  immediately 
follows  ? 

There  was  everything  that  seemed  hopeful  about 
him.  He  was  young,  so  his  heart  could  not  be  very 
hard ;  of  good  moral  character,  amiable  in  disposition, 
and  stirred  with  noble  aspirations ;  moreover,  he  did 
the  very  best  tiling  in  coming  to  Christ  for  guidance. 
Yet  nothing  came  of  it,  because  of  one  obstacle,  which 
would  have  been  no  hindrance  in  his  childhood,  but 
which  proved  insurmountable  now.  Young  as  he  was, 
his  affections  had  had  time  to  get  so  intertwined  with 
his  worldly  possessions,  that  he  could  not  disengage 
them,  so  that  instead  of  following  Christ  "  he  went 
away  sorrowful." 

The  manner  of  our  Lord's  dealing  with  this  young 
man  is  exceedingly  instructive.  Some  have  found  a 
difficulty  in  what  seems  to  them  the  strange  answer  to 

18 


274  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

the  apparently  straightforward  and  admirable  question 
"  What  good  thing  shall  I  do,  that  I  may  have  eternal 
life  ?  "  Why  did  He  not  give  the  same  answer  which 
St.  Paul  afterwards  gave  to  the  Philippian  jailer  ?  Why 
did  He  not  only  fail  to  bring  Himself  forward  as 
the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life,  but  even  disclaim  the 
goodness  which  the  young  man  had  imputed  to  Him  ? 
And  why  did  He  point  him  to  the  law  instead  of  show- 
ing him  the  Gospel  ?  Everything  becomes  quite  clear 
when  we  remember  that  Christ  dealt  with  people  not 
according  to  the  words  they  spoke,  but  according  tc 
what  He  saw  to  be  in  their  hearts.  Had  this  young 
man  been  in  a  state  of  mind  at  all  like  that  of  the 
Philippian  jailer  when  he  came  trembling  and  fell  down 
before  Paul  and  Silas,  he  would  no  doubt  have  had  a 
similar  answer.  But  he  was  in  the  very  opposite  con- 
dition. He  was  quite  satisfied  with  his  own  goodness ; 
it  was  not  salvation  he  was  seeking,  but  some  new 
merit  to  add  to  the  large  stock  he  already  had  :  "  what 
good  thing  shall  I  do  "  in  addition  to  all  the  well-known 
goodness  of  my  character  and  daily  life  ?  what  extra 
claim  can  I  establish  upon  the  favour  of  God  ?  Mani- 
festly his  idea  of  goodness  was  only  conventional ;  it 
was  the  goodness  which  passes  muster  among  men, 
not  that  which  justifies  itself  before  the  all-searching 
eye  of  God  ;  and  having  no  higher  idea  of  goodness 
than  that,  he  of  course  used  it  in  no  higher  sense, 
when  he  addressed  Christ  as  "good  Master."  There 
could,  then,  be  no  more  appropriate  or  more  heart- 
searching  question  than  this, — "  Why  callest  thou  Me 
good  ? "  (it  is  only  in  the  conventional  sense  you  use 
the  term,  and  conventional  goodness  is  no  goodness 
at  all);  " there  is  none  good  but  One,  that  is  God." 
Having  thus  stimulated  his  easy  conscience,  He  sends 


xix.  i -xx.  1 6.]  LAST  DA  YS  IN  PER&A.  275 

him  to  the  law  that  he  may  have  knowledge  of  his  sin, 
and  so  may  take  the  first  step  towards  eternal  life. 
The  young  man's  reply  to  this  reveals  the  secret  of 
his  heart,  and  shows  that  Christ  had  made  no  mistake 
in  dealing  with  him  as  He  did.  "  Which  ?  "  he  asks, 
evidently  expecting  that,  the  Ten  Commandments  being 
taken  for  granted,  there  will  be  something  higher  and 
more  exacting,  the  keeping  of  which  will  bring  him  the 
extra  credit  he  hopes  to  gain. 

The  Lord's  answer  to  his  question  was  well  fitted  to 
take  down  his  spiritual  pride,  pointing  him  as  it  did  to 
the  commonp^ce  Decalogue,  and  to  that  part  of  it  which 
seemed  the  easiest;  for  the  first  table  of  the  law  is 
passed  over,  and  only  those  commandments  mentioned 
which  bear  upon  duty  to  man.  And  is  there  not  special 
skill  shown  in  the  way  in  which  they  are  marshalled,  so 
as  to  lead  up  to  the  one  which  covered  his  weak  point  ? 
The  sixth,  the  seventh,  the  eighth,  the  ninth,  the  fifth 
are  rapidly  passed  in  review ;  then  the  mind  is  allowed 
to  rest  on  the  tenth,  not,  however,  in  its  mere  negative 
form,  "  Thou  shalt  not  covet,"  but  as  involved  in  that 
positive  requirement  which  sums  up  the  whole  of  the 
second  table  of  the  Law,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour 
as  thyself."  We  can  imagine  how  the  Saviour  would 
mark  the  young  man's  countenance,  as  one  after  another 
the  commandments  were  pressed  upon  his  conscience, 
ending  with  that  one  which  should  have  pierced  him 
as  with  a  two-edged  sword.  But  he  is  too  strongly 
encased  in  his  mail  of  self-righteousness ;  and  he  only 
replies,  °  All  these  things  have  I  kept  from  my  youth 
up  :  what  lack  I  yet  ?  "  Clearly  it  is  a  surgical  case  ; 
the  medicine  of  the  Commandments  will  not  do ;  there 
must  be  the  insertion  of  the  knife :  u  Go,  and  sell  that 
thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor." 


276  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Let  us  not,  however,  mistake  the  tone.  "Jesus 
beholding  him  loved  him"  (Mark  x.  21);  and  the  love 
was  never  warmer  than  at  the  moment  when  He  made 
this  stern  demand.  There  was  sorrow  on  His  face  and 
in  His  tone  when  He  told  him  of  the  hard  necessity ; 
and  there  was  a  heart  full  of  love  in  the  gracious  invita- 
tion which  rounded  off  the  sharp  saying  at  the  end : 
11  Come,  and  follow  Me."  Let  us  hope  that  the  Saviour's 
compassionate  love  was  not  finally  lost  on  him ;  that, 
though  he  no  doubt  did  lose  the  great  opportunity  of 
taking  a  high  place  in  the  kingdom,  he  nevertheless, 
before  all  was  done,  bethought  him  of  the  Master's 
faithful  and  loving  words,  repented  of  his  covetousness, 
and  so  found  an  open  door  and  a  forgiving  welcome. 

Danger  of  Riches  (w.  23-26). 

So  striking  an  incident  must  not  be  allowed  to 
pass  without  seizing  and  pressing  the  great  lesson  it 
teaches.  No  lesson  was  more  needful  at  the  time. 
Covetousness  was  in  the  air ;  it  was  already  setting  its 
mark  on  the  Hebrew  people,  who,  as  they  ceased  to 
serve  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  were  giving  themselves 
over  more  and  more  to  the  worship  of  mammon ;  and, 
as  the  Master  well  knew,  there  was  one  of  the  twelve 
in  whom  the  fatal  poison  was  even  then  at  work.  We 
can  understand,  therefore,  the  deep  feeling  which  Christ 
throws  into  His  warning  against  this  danger,  and  His 
special  anxiety  to  guard  all  His  disciples  against  an 
over-estimate  of  this  world's  riches. 

We  shall  not,  however,  fully  enter  into  the  mind  of 
our  Lord,  if  we  fail  to  notice  the  tone  of  con; passion  and 
charity  which  marks  His  first  utterance.  He  is  still 
thinking  kindly  of  the  poor  rich  young  man,  and  is 
anxious  to  make  all  allowance  for  him.     It  is  as  if  He 


xix.  i-xx.  16.]  LAST  DA  YS  IN  PER&A.  277 

said,  "See  that  you  do  not  judge  him  too  harshly; 
think  how  hard  it  is  for  such  as  he  to  enter  the  king- 
dom." This  will  explain  how  it  is  that  in  repeating 
the  statement  He  found  it  desirable,  as  recorded  by 
St.  Mark,  to  introduce  a  qualification  in  order  to  render 
it  applicable  to  all  cases  :  u  How  hard  is  it  for  them  that 
trust  in  riches  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  ! n  But  while 
softening  it  in  one  direction,  He  puts  it  still  more  strongly 
in  another:  "Again  I  say  unto  you,  it  is  easier  for  a 
camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich 
man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  We  shall  not 
enter  into  the  trivial  discussion  as  to  the  needle's  eye ; 
it  is  enough  to  know  that  it  was  a  proverbial  phrase, 
probably  in  common  use,  expressing  in  the  strongest 
way  the  insurmountable  obstacle  which  the  possession 
of  riches,  when  these  are  trusted  in  and  so  put  in  place 
of  God,  must  prove  to  their  unfortunate  owner. 

The  disciples'  alarm  expressed  in  the  question  "Who, 
then,  can  be  saved  ?  "  does  them  much  credit.  It  shows 
that  they  had  penetration  enough  to  see  that  the  danger 
against  which  their  Master  was  guarding  them  did  not 
beset  the  rich  alone ;  that  they  had  sufficient  knowledge 
of  themselves  to  perceive  that  even  such  as  they,  who 
had  always  been  poor,  and  who  had  given  up  what 
little  they  had  for  their  Master's  sake,  might  never- 
theless not  be  free  enough  from  the  well-nigh  universal 
sin  to  be  themselves  quite  safe.  One  cannot  help 
thinking  that  the  searching  look,  which  St.  Mark  tells 
us  their  Lord  bent  on  them  as  He  spoke,  had  something 
to  do  with  this  unusual  quickness  of  conscience.  It 
reminds  us  of  that  later  scene,  when  each  one  asked, 
H  Lord,  is  it  I  ?  "  Is  there  any  one  of  us,  who,  when 
that  all-seeing  Eye  is  fixed  upon  us,  with  its  pure  and 
holy  gaze  into  the  depths  of  our  being,  can  fail  to  ask, 


278  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

with  the  conscience-stricken  disciples,  a  Who,  then,  can 
be  saved  ?  " 

The  answer  He  gives  does  not  at  all  lighten  the 
pressure  on  the  conscience.  There  is  no  recalling  of 
the  strong  words  which  suggest  the  idea  of  utter 
impossibility.  He  does  not  say,  "You  are  judging 
yourselves  too  strictly  "  ;  on  the  contrary,  He  confirms 
their  judgment,  and  tells  them  that  there  they  are 
right :  "  With  men  this  is  impossible " ;  but  is  there 
not  another  alternative?  "Who  art  thou,  O  great 
mountain  ?  before  Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  become  a 
plain ; n  "  With  God  all  things  are  possible."  A  most 
significant  utterance  this  for  those  to  ponder  who, 
instead  of  following  our  Lord's  dealing  with  this  case 
to  its  close,  treat  it  as  if  the  final  word  had  been  "  If 
thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments." 
This  favourite  passage  of  the  legalist  is  the  one  of  all 
others  which  most  completely  overthrows  his  hopes, 
and  shows  that  so  deep  are  the  roots  of  sin  in  the 
heart  of  man,  even  of  the  most  amiable  and  most 
exemplary,  that  none  can  be  saved  except  by  the 
power  of  divine  grace  overcoming  that  which  is  to 
men  an  impossibility.  "Behold,  God  is  my  salva- 
tion." 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  it  is  as  a  hindrance  to  enter- 
ing the  kingdom  that  riches  are  here  stigmatised, — 
which  suggests  the  thought  that  the  danger  is  not  nearly 
so  great  when  riches  increase  to  those  who  have  already 
entered.  Not  that  there  is  even  for  them  no  serious 
danger,  nor  need  of  watching  and  of  prayer  that  as 
they  increase,  the  heart  be  not  set  upon  them ;  but 
where  there  is  true  consecration  of  heart  the  conse- 
cration of  wealth  follows  as  a  natural  and  easy 
consequence.      Riches   are   a   responsibility    to    those 


xix.  i-xx.  16.]  LAST  DA  YS  IN  PER  MA.  279 

that  are  in  the  kingdom ;  they  are  a  misfortune  only 
to  those  who  have  not  entered  it. 

As  on  the  question  of  marriage  or  celibacy,  so 
on  that  of  property  or  poverty,  the  Romanist  has 
pushed  our  Lord's  words  to  an  extreme  which  is 
evidently  not  intended.  It  was  plain  even  to  the 
disciples  that  it  was  not  the  mere  possession  of  mches, 
but  the  setting  the  heart  on  them,  which  He  condemned. 
If  our  Lord  had  intended  to  set  forth  the  absolute 
renunciation  of  property  as  a  counsel  of  perfection  to 
His  disciples,  this  would  have  been  the  time  to  do  it ; 
but  we  look  in  vain  for  any  such  counsel.  He  saw  it 
to  be  necessary  for  that  young  man ;  but  when  He 
applies  the  case  to  disciples  in  general,  He  does  not  say 
"  If  any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  sell  all  that  he 
has,  and  give  to  the  poor,"  but  contents  Himself  with 
giving  a  very  strong  warning  against  the  danger  of 
riches  coming  between  man  and  the  kingdom  of  God. 
But  while  the  ascetic  interpretation  of  our  Lord's 
words  is  manifestly  wrong,  the  other  extreme  of 
reducing  them  to  nothing  is  far  worse,  which  is  the 
danger  now. 

Rewards   (xix.  27 — xx.  16*). 

The  thought  of  sacrifice  very  naturally  suggests  as 
its  correlative  that  of  compensation ;  so  it  is  not  at  all 
to  be  wondered  at  that,  before  this  conversation  ended, 
the  impulsive  disciple,  so  much  given  to  think  aloud, 
should  blurt  out  the  honest  question :  "  Behold,  we 
have   forsaken  all  and  followed  Thee;  what  shall  we 

*  The  latter  part  of  ver.  16 — "Many  be  called,  but  few  chosen" — 
does  not  properly  belong  to  this  passage  (see  R.V.)  ;  its  consideration 
will  therefore  be  postponed  till  its  proper  place  is  reached  (see 
chap.  xxii.   1 4). 


280  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

have  therefore?"  He  could  not  but  remember  that 
while  the  Master  had  insisted  on  His  disciples  denying 
self  to  follow  Him,  He  had  spoken  no  less  clearly 
of  their  finding  life  through  losing  it,  and  of  their 
being  rewarded  according  to  their  deeds  (see  xvi. 
24-27).  A  more  cautious  man  would  have  hesitated 
before  he  spoke ;  but  it  was  no  worse  to  speak  it  than 
to  think  it :  and  then,  it  was  an  honest  and  fair 
question ;  accordingly  our  Lord  gives  it  a  frank  and 
generous  answer,  taking  care,  however,  before  leaving 
the  subject,  to  add  a  supplementary  caution,  fitted  to 
correct  what  was  doubtful  or  wrong  in  the  spirit  it 
showed. 

Here,  again,  we  see  how  thoroughly  natural  is  our 
Saviour's  teaching.  "  Not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil,"  was 
His  motto.  This  is  as  true  of  His  relation  to  man's 
nature  as  of  His  relation  to  the  law7  and  the  prophets. 
"  What  shall  we  have  ?  "  is  a  question  not  to  be  set 
aside  as  wholly  unworthy.  The  desire  for  property 
is  an  original  element  in  human  nature.  It  was  of  God 
at  the  first ;  and  though  it  has  swelled  out  into  most 
unseemly  proportions,  and  has  usurped  a  place  which 
does  by  no  means  belong  to  it,  that  is  no  reason  why 
it  should  be  dealt  with  as  if  it  had  no  right  to  exist. 
It  is  vain  to  attempt  to  root  it  out;  what  it  needs  is 
moderating,  regulating,  subordinating.  The  tendency 
of  perverted  human  nature  is  to  make  "What  shall 
we  have  ?  "  the  first  question.  The  way  to  meet  that 
is  not  to  abolish  the  question  altogether,  but  to  put  it 
last,  where  it  ought  to  be.  To  be,  to  do,  to  suffer, 
to  enjoy — that  is  the  order  our  Lord  marks  out  for 
His  disciples.  If  only  they  have  it  as  their  first  anxiety 
to  be  what  they  ought  to  be,  and  to  do  what  they  are 
called  to  do,  and  are  willing,  in  order  to  this,  to  take 


xix.  i-xx.  16.]  LAST  DA  YS  IN  PER&A.  281 

up  the  cross,  to  suffer  whatever  may  be  theirs  to  suffer, 
then  they  may  allow  as  large  scope  as  they  please  to 
the  desire  for  possession  and  enjoyment. 

Observe  the  difference  between  the  young  man  and 
the  disciples.  He  was  coming  to  Christ  for  the  first 
time ;  and  if  our  Lord  had  set  before  him  what  he 
would  gain  by  following  Him,  He  would  have  directly 
encouraged  a  mercenary  spirit.  He  therefore  says  not 
a  word  to  him  about  prospects  of  reward  either  here 
or  hereafter.  Those  who  choose  Christ  must  choose 
Him  for  His  own  sake.  Our  Saviour  dealt  in  no 
other  way  with  Peter,  James  and  John.  When  first 
He  called  them  to  follow  Him,  He  said  not  a  word 
about  thrones  or  rewards ;  He  spoke  of  work  :  "  Follow 
Me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men  "  ;  and  it  was 
not  till  they  had  fully  committed  themselves  to  Him 
that  He  went  so  far  as  to  suggest  even  in  the  most 
general  way  the  thought  of  compensation.  It  would 
have  spoiled  them  to  have  put  such  motives  promi- 
nently before  them  at  an  earlier  stage.  But  it  is 
different  now.  They  have  followed  Him  for  months, 
even  years.  The}^  have  been  tested  in  innumerable 
ways.  They  are  not  certainly  out  of  danger  from 
the  old  selfishness ;  but  with  the  exception  of  one  of 
them,  who  is  fast  developing  into  a  hypocrite,  all  they 
need  is  a  solemn  word  of  caution  now  and  then.  The 
time  had  come  when  their  Master  might  safely  give 
them  some  idea  of  the  prospects  which  lay  before  them, 
when  their  cross-bearing  days  should  be  over. 

The  promise  looks  forward  to  an  entirely  altered 
state  of  things  spoken  of  as  "the  regeneration" — a 
remarkable  term,  reminding  us  of  the  vast  scope  of 
our  Saviour's  mission  as  ever  present  to  His  con- 
sciousness  even    in    these    days   of   smallest    things. 


282  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

The  word  recalls  what  is  said  in  the  book  of  Genesis 
as  to  "  the  generation  of  the  heaven  and  of  the  earth," 
and  suggests  by  anticipation  the  words  of  the  Apo- 
calypse concerning  the  regeneration,  "  Behold,  I  make 
all  things  new,"  and  "  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth."  That  the  reference  is  to  that  final  restitution 
of  all  things,  and  not  merely  to  the  new  dispensation, 
seems  evident  from  the  words  which  immediately 
follow :  "  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne 
of  His  glory."  Why,  then,  was  the  promise  given  in 
words  so  suggestive  of  those  crude  notions  of  an 
earthly  kingdom,  above  which  it  was  so  difficult  and  so 
important  for  the  disciples  to  rise  ?  The  answer  is  to 
be  found  in  the  limitation  of  human  language  :  "  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  Him " ;  accordingly,  if  the 
promise  was  to  be  of  any  use  to  them  in  the  way  of 
comfort  and  encouragement,  it  must  be  expressed  in 
terms  which  were  familiar  to  them  then.  To  their 
minds  the  kingdom  was  as  yet  bound  up  with  Israel ; 
"  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  "  was  as  large  a  conception 
of  it  as  their  thoughts  could  then  grasp ;  and  it  would 
certainly  be  no  disappointment  to  them  when  they 
afterwards  discovered  that  their  relation  as  apostles 
of  the  Lord  was  to  a  much  larger  "  Israel,"  embracing 
every  kindred  and  nation  and  people  and  tribe;  and 
though  their  idea  of  the  thrones  on  which  they  would 
sit  was  then  and  for  some  time  afterwards  quite  in- 
adequate, it  was  only  by  starting  with  what  ideas  of 
regal  power  they  had,  that  they  could  rise  to  those 
spiritual  conceptions  which,  as  they  matured  in  spiritual 
understanding,  took  full  possession  of  their  minds. 
The  Lord  is  speaking,  however,  not  for  the  apostles 


xix.  I -xx.  1 6.]  LAST  DAYS  IN  PER^EA.  283 

alone,  but  for  all  His  disciples  to  the  end  of  time ;  so 
He  must  give  a  word  of  cheer,  in  which  even  the  weakest 
and  most  obscure  shall  have  a  part  (ver.  29).  Observe 
that  here  also  the  promise  is  only  for  those  who  have 
left  what  they  had  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  We  are 
not  authorised  to  go  with  a  message  after  this  form : 
"  If  you  leave,  you  will  get."  The  reward  is  of  such 
a  nature  that  it  cannot  be  seen  until  the  sacrifice  is 
made.  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see 
the  kingdom  of  God;"  until  a  man  loses  his  life  for 
Christ's  sake,  he  cannot  find  it.  But  when  the  sacrifice 
has  been  made,  then  appears  the  compensation,  and  it 
is  seen  that  even  these  strong  words  are  not  too  strong  : 
14  Every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren, 
or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or 
lands,  for  My  name's  sake,  shall  receive  an  hundred- 
fold, and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life."  The  full  con- 
sideration of  this  promise  belongs  rather  to  St.  Mark's 
Gospel,  in  which  it  is  presented  without  abridgment. 

The  supplementary  caution — "But  many  that  are  first 
shall  be  last ;  and  the  last  shall  be  first  " — is  adminis- 
tered in  apparent  reference  to  the  spirit  of  the  apostle's 
question,  which  exhibits  still  some  trace  of  mercenary 
motive,  with  something  also  of  a  disposition  to  self- 
congratulation.  This  general  statement  is  illustrated 
by  the  parable  immediately  following  it,  a  connection 
which  the  unfortunate  division  into  chapters  here 
obscures;  and  not  only  is  an  important  saying  of 
our  Lord  deprived  in  this  way  of  its  illustration,  but 
the  parable  is  deprived  of  its  key,  the  result  of  which 
has  been  that  many  have  been  led  astray  in  its  inter- 
pretation. We  cannot  attempt  to  enter  fully  into  the 
parable,  but  shall  only  make  such  reference  to  it  as  is 
necessary  to  bring  out  its  appropriateness  for  the  pur- 


284  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


pose  our  Lord  had  in  view.  Its  main  purport  may  be 
stated  thus  :  many  that  are  first  in  amount  of  work 
shall  be  last  in  point  of  reward ;  and  many  that  are 
last  in  amount  of  work  shall  be  first  in  point  of  reward. 
The  principle  on  which  this  is  based  is  plain  enough : 
that  in  estimating  the  reward  it  is  not  the  quantity  of 
work  done  or  the  amount  of  sacrifice  made  that  is  the 
measure  of  value,  but  the  spirit  in  which  the  work  is 
done  or  the  sacrifice  made.  The  labourers  who  made 
no  bargain  at  all,  but  went  to  work  on  the  faith  of  their 
Master's  honour  and  liberality,  were  the  best  off*  in  the 
end.  Those  who  made  a  bargain  received,  indeed,  all 
they  bargained  for;  but  the  others  were  rewarded  on 
a  far  more  liberal  scale,  they  obtaining  much  more 
than  they  had  any  reason  to  expect.  Thus  we  are 
taught  that  those  will  be  first  who  think  least  of  wages  as 
wages,  and  are  the  least  disposed  to  put  such  a  question 
as,  "  What  shall  we  then  have  ?  "  This  was  the  main 
lesson  for  the  apostles,  as  it  is  for  all  who  occupy 
places  of  prominence  in  the  kingdom.  It  is  thus  put 
in  later  years  by  one  of  those  who  now  for  the  first 
time  learned  it :  "  Look  to  yourselves,  that  we  lose  not 
those  things  which  we  have  wrought,  but  that  we  receive 
a  full  reward  "  (2  John  8).  "  Look  to  yourselves,"  see 
that  your  spirit  be  right,  that  there  be  nothing  selfish, 
nothing  mercenary,  nothing  vainglorious ;  else  much 
good  labour  and  real  self-denial  may  miss  its  com- 
pensation. 

Besides  the  lesson  of  caution  to  the  great  ones,  there 
is  a  lesson  of  encouragement  to  the  little  ones  in  the 
kingdom — those  who  can  do  little  and  seem  to  them- 
selves to  sacrifice  little  for  Christ.  Let  such  remember 
that  their  labour  and  self-denial  are  measured  not  by 
quantity  but    by  quality,   by   the  spirit   in  which   the 


xix.  i -xx.  1 6.]  LAST  DA  YS  IN  PER&A.  285 


service,  however  small  it  be,  is  rendered,  and  the 
sacrifice,  trifling  as  it  seems,  is  made.  Not  only  is  it 
true  that  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last ;  but  also 
that  many  of  the  last  shall  be  first.  "  If  there  be  first 
a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  that  a  man 
hath,  and  not  according  to  that  he  hath  not." 

Neither  in  the  general  statement  of  our  Lord,  nor 
in  the  parable  which  illustrates  it,  is  there  the  slightest 
encouragement  to  idlers  in  the  vineyard — to  those  who 
do  nothing  and  sacrifice  nothing  for  Christ,  but  who 
think  that,  when  the  eleventh  hour  comes,  they  will 
turn  in  with  the  rest,  and  perhaps  come  off  best  after 
all.  When  the  Master  of  the  vineyard  asks  of  those 
who  are  standing  in  the  market-place  at  the  eleventh 
hour,  "Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle?"  their 
answer  is  ready,  "  Because  no  man  hath  hired  us." 
The  invitation  came  to  them,  then,  for  the  first  time, 
and  they  accepted  it  as  soon  as  it  was  given  them. 
Suppose  the  Master  of  the  vineyard  had  asked  them 
in  the  morning,  and  at  the  first  hour  and  the  second 
and  the  third,  and  so  on  all  the  day,  and  only  at  the 
eleventh  hour  did  they  deign  to  notice  His  invitation, 
how  would  they  have  fared  ? 


w 


XVI. 

TO    JERUSALEM. 
Matt  xx.  17 — xxi.  17. 

I. — The  Going  Up  (xx.  17-34). 

E  have  now  reached  the  last  stage  of  the  long 
and  sorrowful  journey  to  Jerusalem.  From  the 
corresponding  passage  in  the  second  Gospel  we  learn 
that  the  disciples  were  greatly  moved  by  something  in 
their  Master's  manner :  "  they  were  amazed  ;  and  as 
they  followed,  they  were  afraid."  It  would  appeal, 
indeed,  that  they  had  considerable  hesitation  in  following 
at  all,  for  it  is  pointedly  mentioned  that  "  Jesus  went 
before  them,"  a  hesitation  which  was  no  doubt  due  to 
the  same  feeling  which  prompted  Peter,  on  the  first 
announcement  of  the  journey  to  Jerusalem  and  what  it 
would  involve,  to  say  "  Be  it  far  from  Thee,  Lord  "  ;  and 
as  then,  so  now,  the  Saviour  felt  it  as  an  obstacle  in 
His  onward  path  which  He  must  resolutely  put  out 
of  the  way ;  and  it  was  doubtless  the  new  and  severe 
effort  required  of  that  heroic  will  to  set  it  aside,  and 
in  doing  so  to  face  the  gathering  storm  alone,  which 
explained  His  unwonted  agitation  as  He  addressed 
Himself  to  the  last  stage  of  the  fatal  journey. 

Still,  He  longs  to  have  His  disciples  in  sympathy  with 
Ilim.  He  knows  well  that  not  yet  have  they  fully 
appreciated  what  He  has  said  to  them  ;  accordingly,  at 


xx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  287 

some  convenient  point  on  the  way,  He  takes  them  by 
themselves  and  tells  them  once  again,  more  distinctly  and 
definitely  than  ever,  what  must  be  the  issue  of  the  step 
He  is  now  taking  (vv.  17-19).  St.  Luke  tells  us  that 
even  yet "  they  understood  none  of  these  things."  Their 
minds  must  have  been  in  a  state  of  great  bewilderment ; 
and  when  we  think  of  this,  we  may  well  admire  that 
strong  personal  devotion  to  their  Master  which  made 
them  willing,  however  reluctantly  and  hesitatingly,  still 
to  follow  Him  into  the  dark  unknown.  With  the  one 
sad  exception,  they  were  thoroughly  loyal  to  their  King  ; 
they  trusted  Him  absolutely ;  and  though  they  could  not 
understand  why  He  should  be  mocked  and  scourged 
and  crucified  in  His  own  capital,  they  were  willing  to  go 
with  Him  there,  in  the  full  expectation  that,  in  some 
way  they  then  could  not  imagine,  He  should  triumph 
over  his  enemies  and  erect  those  thrones  and  bring  in 
that  glory  of  the  kingdom  of  which  He  had  spoken. 

This  failure  of  theirs  to  comprehend  the  real  situation, 
which  one  Evangelist  mentions,  is  well  illustrated  by 
an  incident  which  happened  on  the  road  as  recorded 
by  the  others — one  of  those  evidently  undesigned  co- 
incidences which  continually  meet  us,  and  which,  in  a 
higher  degree  than  mere  circumstantial  agreements, 
confirm  our  faith  in  the  accuracy  of  the  sacred  writers. 
u  Then  came  to  Him  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children 
with  her  sons,  worshipping  Him,  and  desiring  a  certain 
thing  of  Him," — the  "  certain  thing,"  as  it  turned  out, 
being  that  the  two  sons  should  have  the  chief  places  of 
honour  in  the  kingdom.  From  the  form  in  which  the 
request  was  presented  it  would  seem  as  if  it  had  been 
founded  on  a  misapprehension  of  one  of  His  own 
sayings.  In  St.  Mark's  Gospel,  where  the  part  which 
the  two  sons  themselves  had  in  it  is  related,  the  very 


288  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.    MATTHEW. 

words  of  the  application  are  given  thus :  "  Master,  we 
would  that  Thou  shouldest  do  for  us  whatsoever  we 
shall  desire,"  as  if  to  remind  Him  of  His  promise  to 
any  two  of  them  who  should  agree  as  touching  any- 
thing they  should  ask  (xviii.  19),  and  to  claim  the 
fulfilment  of  it.  It  need  not  be  assumed  that  the  re- 
quest was  a  purely  selfish  one.  However  vague  their 
ideas  may  have  been  as  to  the  days  of  darkness  that 
awaited  them  in  Jerusalem,  we  cannot  suppose  that 
they  left  them  wholly  out  of  view;  and  if  not,  they 
must  have  been  prepared,  or  have  thought  them- 
selves prepared,  to  take  foremost  places  in  the  battle- 
field as  well  as  in  the  triumph  that  would  surely 
follow.  There  may  well  have  been,  then,  a  touch  of 
chivalry  along  with  the  grosser  motive  which,  it  is  to 
be  feared,  was  their  main  inspiration. 

This  makes  it  easier  for  us  to  understand  the  possi- 
bility of  their  coming  with  such  a  request  at  such  a  time. 
We  all  know  how  easy  it  is  to  justify  a  selfish  proceed- 
ing when  there  is  something  to  offset  it.  We  ourselves 
know  how  natural  it  is  to  think  of  those  scriptures 
which  suit  our  purpose,  while  we  conveniently  forget 
for  the  moment  those  that  do  not.  Was  it,  then,  un- 
natural that  James  and  John,  forgetting  for  the  moment 
what  their  Lord  had  taught  them  as  to  the  way  to  true 
greatness  in  His  kingdom,  should  satisfy  themselves 
with  the  thought  that  they  were  at  all  events  taking 
up  their  cross  in  the  first  place,  and  as  to  the  ulterior 
object  were  certainly  acting  up  to  the  very  plain  and 
emphatic  word  of  the  Master  Himself:  "  I  say  unto 
you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching 
anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them." 

This  view  of  their  state  of  mind  is  confirmed  by  our 
Lord's  way  of  dealing  with  them.     He  first  asks  thera 


xx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  289 

what  it  is  they  have  agreed  upon ;  and,  when  the 
mother  tells  Him,  He  quietly  shows  them  that,  so  far 
from  agreeing  together,  none  of  them  know^what  they 
are  asking.  They  are  all  using  the  same  words,  but 
the  words  might  as  well  be  in  an  unknown  tongue, 
— better  perhaps,  inasmuch  as  to  misunderstand  is  a 
degree  worse  than  not  to  understand  at  all.  He  then 
proceeds  to  show  them  that  the  fulfilment  of  their 
request  would  involve  issues  for  which  as  yet  they 
wrere  by  no  means  prepared:  "Jesus  answered  and 
said,  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are  ye  able  to  drink  of 
the  cup  that  I  shall  drink  of?"  Their  answer  confirms 
the  view  suggested,  that  they  did  not  leave  out  altogether 
the  thought  of  cross-bearing ;  but  we  have  only  to 
remember  what  took  place  in  the  course  of  a  week  to 
see  that  in  saying  "  We  are  able,"  they  knew  as  little  of 
what  they  were  promising  as  they  had  known  of  what 
they  were  asking.  He  will  not,  however,  break  the 
bruised  reed  of  their  devotion,  nor  quench  the  feeblest 
spark  of  self-denying  courage ;  accordingly  He  does  not 
slight  their  offer,  but,  in  accepting  it,  He  reminds  them 
that  the  honours  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  are  not  for 
favourites,  or  for  those  who  may  first  apply,  but  only 
for  those  who  approve  themselves  worthy  in  the  sight 
of  Him  Who  seeth  all,  and  who  rewards  every  man 
according  to  his  deeds  (ver.  23). 

The  ten  were  not  much  better  than  the  two.  It  was 
natural,  indeed,  that,  when  they  heard  it,  they  should  be 
11  moved  with  indignation  "  ;  but,  though  natural,  it  was 
not  Christian.  Had  they  remembered  the  lesson  of  the 
little  child,  or  even  thought  deeply  enough  of  that  very 
recent  one  about  the  last  and  the  first,  they  would  have 
been  moved  with  something  else  than  indignation. 
But  need  any  one  wonder  that  selfishness  should  be  so 

19 


290  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

very  hard  to  kill  ?  Is  it  not  true  to  nature  ?  Besides, 
the  Spirit  had  not  yet  been  given,  and  therefore  we 
need  not  wonder  that  even  the  plainest  teaching  of 
the  Lord  Himself  failed  to  cast  the  selfish  spirit  out  of 
His  disciples  then.  "Knowledge  comes,  but  wisdom 
lingers."  On  the  other  hand,  think  of  the  marvellous 
patience  of  the  Master.  How  disappointing  it  must 
have  been  at  such  a  time  to  see  in  all  of  them  a  spirit 
so  wholly  at  variance  with  all  that  by  precept  and 
example  He  had  been  labouring  to  instil  into  them  ! 
Yet  without  one  word  of  reproach  He  teaches  them  the 
old  lesson  once  again,  gives  them  liberally  the  wisdom 
which  they  lack,  and  upbraids  them  not. 

The  words  of  Christ  not  only  meet  the  case  most 
fully,  but  reach  far  beyond  the  immediate  occasion  of 
their  utterance.  Thus  He  brings  good  out  of  evil,  and 
secures  that  even  the  strife  of  His  disciples  shall  make 
for  "  peace  on  earth."  He  begins  by  showing  how 
absolutely  in  contrast  to  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
is  the  kingdom  He  has  come  to  establish.  In  them 
the  great  ones  "lord  it  over"  (R.V.)  others;  in  it  the 
great  ones  are  those  who  serve.  What  a  revolution 
of  thought  is  involved  in  this  simple  contrast !  of  how 
much  that  is  great  and  noble  has  it  been  the  seed  1 
The  dignity  of  labour,  the  royalty  of  service,  the  petti- 
ness of  selfish  ambition,  the  majesty  of  self-sacrificing 
love ;  the  utter  condemnation  of  the  miserable  maxim 
"Every  man  for  himself";  the  world's  first  question 
"■  What  shall  we  have  ? "  made  the  last,  and  its  last 
question  "  What  shall  we  give  ?  "  made  the  very  first, 
— such  are  some  of  the  fruits  which  have  grown 
from  the  seed  our  Lord  planted  in  so  ungenial  soil 
that  day.  We  are,  alas,  still  very  far  from  realising 
that  great  ideal ;  but  ever  since  that  day,  as  an  ideal, 


xx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  291 

it  has  never  been  quite  out  of  sight.  Early  Christianity 
under  the  guidance  of  the  apostles  strove,  though 
with  all  too  little  success,  to  realise  it ;  the  chivalry  of 
the  middle  ages,  with  its  glorification  of  knighthood,* 
was  an  attempt  to  embody  it;  and  what  is  the  con- 
stitutionalism of  modern  times  but  the  development 
of  the  principle  in  political  life,  the  real  power  being 
vested  not  in  the  titular  monarch,  who  represents 
ideally  the  general  weal,  but  in  a  ministry,  so  desig- 
nated to  mark  the  fact  that  their  special  function  is 
to  minister  or  serve,  the  highest  position  in  the  realm 
bearing  the  humble  title  of  Prime  Minister,  or  first 
servant  of  the  state.  It  is  of  value  to  have  the  prin- 
ciple before  us  as  an  ideal,  even  though  it  be  buried 
under  the  tombstone  of  a  name,  the  significance  of 
which  is  forgotten ;  but  when  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
shall  be  fully  established  on  the  earth,  the  ideal  will 
be  realised,  not  in  political  life  only,  but  all  through 
society.  If  only  the  ambition  to  serve  our  generation 
according  to  the  will  of  God  were  to  become  universal, 
then  would  God's  kingdom  come  and  His  will  be  done 
on  earth  even  as  it  is  in  heaven. 

Of  this  great  principle  of  the  heavenly  kingdom  the 
King  Himself  is  the  highest  illustration  :  "even  as  the 
Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many.'' 
There  are  those  who  write  about  "  the  service  of  man  " 
as  if  the  thought  of  it  were  a  development  of  nineteenth- 
century  enlightenment ;  but  there  it  is  in  all  its  truth 
and  grandeur  in  the  life,  and  above  all  in  the  death,  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ !  His  entire  life 
was  devoted  to  the  service  of  man ;  and  His  death  was 

•  The  knight  was  originally  a  Knecht  =  a  servant  or  slave. 


292  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

but  the  giving  up  in  one  final  act  of  surrender  what 
had  all  along  been  consecrated  to  the  same  high  and 
holy  ministry. 

These  closing  words  of  the  great  lesson  art 
memorable,  not  only  as  setting  before  us  the  highest 
exemplification  of  the  law  of  service,  which  as  "Sou 
of  Man  "  Christ  gave  to  the  world  ;  but  as  presenting 
the  first  intimation  of  the  purpose  of  the  great  sacrifice 
He  was  about  to  offer  at  Jerusalem.  Again  and  again 
He  had  told  the  disciples  that  it  was  necessary ;  but 
now  for  the  first  time  does  He  give  them  an  idea  wThy 
it  was  necessary.  It  is  too  soon,  indeed,  to  give  a 
full  explanation  ;  it  will  be  time  enough  to  unfold  the 
doctrine  of  atonement  after  the  atonement  has  been 
actually  made.  Meantime  He  makes  it  plain  that, 
while  His  whole  life  was  a  life  of  ministering  as  dis- 
tinguished from  being  ministered  unto,  the  supreme 
service  He  had  come  to  render  was  the  giving  of  His 
life  as  a  ransom,  something  to  be  rendered  up  as  a 
price  which  must  be  paid  to  redeem  His  people.  It  is 
plain  from  this  way  of  putting  it,  that  He  viewed  the 
giving  up  of  His  life  as  the  means  by  which  alone  He 
could  save  the  "  many  "  who  should,  as  His  redeemed 
or  ransomed  ones,  constitute  His  kingdom. 

On  the  way  to  Jerusalem  lay  the  beautiful  city  of 
Jericho.  The  place  now  called  by  that  name  is  such 
a  wretched  assemblage  of  miserable  hovels  that  it  is 
difficult  for  the  traveller  to  realise  that  the  Jericho  of 
the  days  of  our  Lord  was  not  only  the  most  luxurious 
place  of  resort  in  Palestine,  but  one  that  might  vie  with 
its  fashionable  rivals  throughout  the  Roman  Empire. 
Since  the  days  of  Herod  the  Great  it  had  been  the 
winter  residence  of   the  Court.      Jerusalem  being  on 


xx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  293 

the  cold  hill-top,  it  was  convenient  to  have  within  easy 
reach  a  warm  and  sheltered  spot  in  the  deep  valley  of 
the  Jordan ;  and  with  a  delightful  winter  climate  and  a 
rich  and  fertile  soil,  Jericho  needed  only  the  lavish 
expenditure  of  money  to  make  it  into  "a  little 
Paradise,"  as  Josephus  calls  it.  With  its  gardens  of 
roses  and  groves  of  palm,  it  was,  even  before  the  time 
of  Herod,  so  beautiful  a  place,  that,  as  a  gem  of  the 
East,  Antony  bestowed  it  on  Cleopatra  as  an  ex- 
pression of  his  devotion ;  after  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Herod,  a  theatre  was  erected  and  an  amphitheatre, 
and  many  other  noble  and  costly  buildings ;  and  during 
the  season  it  was  thronged  by  the  rich  and  the  great  of 
the  land,  among  whom  would  be  distinguished  visitors 
from  foreign  parts.  What  effect  would  all  this  grandeur 
have  on  Christ  and  His  disciples  as  they  passed  through 
it  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem  ?  We  are  not  told.  Two 
things  only  are  noted  as  worthy  of  record :  the  salva- 
tion of  a  rich  publican  (Luke  xix.  i-io),  and  the  healing 
of  two  poor  blind  men.  Not  the  gardens  and  palaces  of 
the  city,  but  its  sins  and  sorrows,  engage  the  Saviour's 
thoughts  and  occupy  His  time. 

As  a  rule,  we  regard  it  as  waste  of  time  to  deal  with 
the  "discrepancies"  between  the  different  Evangelists; 
but  as  one  of  the  most  serious  of  them  all  has  been 
found  here,  it  may  be  well  to  look  at  it,  to  see  how 
much,  or  how  little,  it  amounts  to.  First,  the  other 
Gospels  speak  of  the  cure  of  a  blind  man,  and  tell  his 
name,  Bartimseus;  this  one  says  that  two  blind  men 
were  cured,  and  does  not  mention  any  name.  If  the 
other  Evangelists  had  said  that  only  one  was  healed, 
there  would  have  been  a  real  discrepancy ;  but  they  do 
not.  Another  "  discrepancy  "  which  has  been  noticed 
is  that  St.  Matthew  says  Christ  "  touched  their  eyes," 


294  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

while  the  others  do  not  mention  the  touch,  but  only  tell 
us  what  He  said ;  but  surely  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
supposing  that  Christ  both  touched  the  eyes  and  spoke 
the  words  at  the  same  time.  It  is  true  that  the  words 
as  recorded  by  St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke  are  not  identical, 
but  they  are  precisely  to  the  same  effect;  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  every  word  which  both  of  them 
report  was  actually  said,  and  that  other  words  besides 
were  spoken  which  have  not  been  preserved. 

These  differences  are  not  discrepancies  at  all ;  but 
there  remains  one  which  may  fairly  enough  be  so 
characterised.  The  first  and  second  Gospels  represent 
the  cure  as  taking  place  on  the  way  into  Jericho ;  the 
the  third  puts  it  on  the  way  out. 

Various  suppositions,  more  or  less  plausible,  especially 
less,  have  been  made  to  u reconcile"  these  two  repre- 
sentations :  such  as  the  fact  that  there  were  really  two 
Jerichos,  the  old  and  the  new,  the  cure  being  wrought 
as  the  Saviour  passed  from  the  one  to  the  other,  so 
that  both  accounts  would  be  strictly  accurate  ;  or  again, 
that  cures  may  have  been  wrought  both  in  entering  and 
in  leaving  Jericho.  But  why  should  we  trouble  our- 
selves to  reconcile  so  small  a  difference  ?  It  is  not  of 
the  slightest  consequence  whether  the  cure  took  place 
on  the  way  in  or  on  the  way  out.  If  it  had  been  a 
point  on  which  strict  accuracy  was  essential,  care 
would  doubtless  have  been  taken  to  note  the  very 
moment  and  the  very  spot  where  it  took  place — as,  for 
example,  in  the  case  of  the  cure  of  the  nobleman's  son 
at  Capernaum  (John  iv.  52);  but  it  was  not;  and  there- 
fore we  have  no  more  reason  to  wonder  at  the  variation 
in  so  unimportant  a  detail  than  at  those  variations 
from  the  accurate  text  which  we  continually  find  in  the 
quotations  from   the  Old   Testament  Scriptures.     The 


xx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  295 

discrepancy  does  not  in  the  slightest  degree  affect 
the  credibility  of  any  of  the  witnesses ;  it  only  serves, 
together  with  the  other  variations,  to  show  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  different  accounts.  How  small  must 
be  the  minds,  or  how  strong  the  prejudices,  of  those 
who  find  support  for  their  unbelief  in  discrepancies  of 
which  this  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  gravest 
examples ! 

It  so  happens,  too,  that  there  is  no  story  in  all  the 
Gospels  which  shines  more  lustrously  in  its  own  light. 
It  is  full  of  beauty  and  pathos  in  all  the  versions  of  it 
which  have  come  down  to  us ;  but  most  of  all  in  the 
graphic  story  of  St.  Mark,  to  whose  Gospel  therefore  its 
illustration  may  be  regarded  as  belonging  by  special 
right 

II. — The  Royal  Entry  (xxi.  1-17). 

Travelling  from  Jericho,  it  is  probable  that  our  Lord 
reached  Bethany  on  the  evening  of  Friday,  a  week 
before  His  crucifixion.  The  next  day,  being  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,  He  would  spend  in  retirement,  pro- 
bably in  the  house  of  Lazarus,  whom  a  short  time 
before  He  had  raised  from  the  dead.  The  following 
day,  the  first  day  of  the  week,  would  therefore  be  the 
date  of  His  entry  into  Jerusalem  as  the  Royal  Son  of 
David,  come  to  claim  His  kingdom. 

That  this  entrance  into  the  capital  is  a  most  import- 
ant event  in  the  history  of  Jesus  is  evident  not  only 
from  its  nature  and  consequences,  but  also  from  the 
fact  that  it  is  one  which  all  the  four  Evangelists  record. 
Indeed,  it  is  just  at  this  point  that  the  four  narratives 
converge.  The  river  of  the  water  of  life,  which  °  was 
parted  and  became  four  heads  "  diverging  at  times  in 
their  course,  now  unites  its  waters  in  one  channel  bread 


296  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW, 

and  deep;  and  all  the  four  Evangelists,  though  in 
different  accents  still,  and  with  variation  in  the  selection 
of  details,  combine  to  tell  the  same  wondrous  story  of 
our  Saviour's  passion,  the  story  of  "  the  decease  which 
He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem." 

This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  our  Lord 
distinctly  put  forth  His  claim  to  royalty.  From  the 
beginning  of  His  ministry  He  had  shown  Himself  to 
be  a  "  prophet  mighty  in  word  and  in  deed,"  and  to 
those  who  followed  Him  it  became  manifest  that  He  was 
the  Prophet  foretold  by  Moses,  for  whose  coming  they 
had  been  taught  to  look  with  eager  eyes  (see  Deut.  xviii. 
15-19).  From  the  beginning  of  His  ministry,  too, 
the  Saviour  had  been  proclaiming  "  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  " ;  but  when  we  examine  carefully  all  He  says 
about  it,  we  find  that  He  never  expressly  asserts  that 
He  Himself  is  King.  Not  that  He  conceals  the  all- 
important  truth  :  He  speaks  of  the  kingdom  in  such 
a  way  that  those  who  have  ears  to  hear  may  learn 
that  He  is  King  Himself — as,  for  instance,  when  He 
says,  u  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  Me, 
and  forbid  them  not:  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  One  might  quite  readily  infer  from  these 
words  that  Jesus  Himself  was  King;  but  the  claim  is 
not  thereby  formally  made.  Besides,  not  only  is  it 
true  that  up  to  this  time  He  did  not  formally  assume 
the  royal  title,  but  He  even  resisted  attempts  made 
to  thrust  it  upon  Him  (e.g.,  John  vi.  15).  For 
this  refusal  to  be  crowned  by  the  multitude  there 
was  only  too  good  reason.  Their  ideas  of  royalty 
were  entirely  different  from  His.  Had  He  allowed 
Himself  to  be  borne  on  the  tide  of  popular  favour  to 
royal  honours,  His  kingdom  would  have  been  thereby 
marked  as  "  of  this  world,"  it  would  have  been  stamped 


xx,  17-xxL  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  297 

as  something  very  different  from  the  kingdom  of 
"righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost" 
He  had  come  to  establish.  Had  He  been  a  mere 
enthusiast,  He  would  undoubtedly  have  yielded  to  such 
a  tidal  wave  of  public  excitement ;  but  His  unerring 
wisdom  taught  Him  that  He  must  reach  His  throne 
by  another  path  than  that  of  popular  favour.  Rather 
must  it  be  through  popular  rejection — through  the  dark 
portals  of  despite  and  death;  and  for  that,  His  hour 
had  not  then  come. 

Now  it  has  come.  He  has  been  steadily  advancing 
to  Jerusalem  for  the  very  purpose  of  accomplishing 
that  decease  which  is  to  be  the  portal  of  His  royalty. 
Already  fully  revealed  as  Prophet,  He  is  about  to  be 
made  "  perfect  through  suffering "  as  our  great  High 
Priest.  It  is  time,  therefore,  that  He  reveal  Himself 
as  King,  so  that  no  one  may  have  it  afterwards  to  say 
that  He  never  really  claimed  the  throne  of  His  father 
David. 

How,  then,  shall  He  assert  His  right  ?  Shall  a  herald 
be  sent  to  proclaim  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  King  over  Israel  in  Jerusalem  ? 
To  take  such  a  course  would  be  to  court  misunder- 
standing. It  would  be  to  raise  the  standard  of  revolt 
against  the  Romans.  It  would  stir  the  city  in  a  very 
different  fashion  from  that  in  which  the  Prince  of  Peace 
would  have  it  stirred.  It  would  be  the  signal  for 
tumult,  bloodshed,  and  disastrous  war.  The  ordinary 
method  is  evidently  not  to  be  thought  of.  How,  then, 
shall  it  be  done  ? 

Our  Lord  is  never  at  a  loss  for  means  to  accomplish 
His  designs  in  His  own  way,  which  is  always  the  best. 
He  sends  to  a  neighbouring  village  for  a  young  ass, 
mounts  it,  and   rides  into  the  city.     That  is  all    He 


298  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

does.  Not  a  word  said  about  royalty,  no  herald,  no 
trumpeter,  no  proclamation,  no  royal  pomp,  nothing 
whatever  to  rouse  the  Roman  jealousy  or  ire — nothing 
but  the  very  ordinary  circumstance  of  a  man  riding 
into  the  city  on  an  ass's  colt,  a  mode  of  conveyance 
not  in  itself  calculated  to  attract  any  special  notice. 
What  was  there,  then,  in  such  an  act  to  secure  the  end  ? 
Nothing  in  itself;  but  a  great  deal  when  taken  in 
connection  with  a  remarkable  prophecy  in  the  Book  of 
Zechariah  well  known  to  every  Jew,  and  much  in  the 
thoughts  of  all  who  were  looking  for  the  promised 
Messiah.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  an  ordinary  man 
might  have  done  the  same  thing  and  the  people  have 
taken  no  notice  of  him.  But  Jesus  had  become  the 
object  of  very  great  interest  and  attention  to  large 
numbers  of  the  people  on  account  of  the  miracles  He 
had  been  working — notably  that  great  miracle  which 
still  stirred  the  minds  of  the  whole  community,  the 
raising  of  Lazarus  from  the  dead.  The  chief  priests 
and  scribes,  indeed,  and  the  men  of  influence  in 
Jerusalem,  regarded  Him  with  all  the  greater  rancour 
on  account  of  His  miracles  of  mercy,  and  they  had 
been  specially  embittered  against  Him  since  the  raising 
of  Lazarus;  but  it  was  different  with  the  body  of  the 
people,  especially  those  who  had  come  or  were  coming 
from  Galilee  and  other  distant  parts  of  the  land  to  be 
present  at  the  great  Paschal  feast.  We  are  told  by 
St.  John  that  a  large  number  of  these  had  gone  out 
the  day  before  to  Bethany,  both  to  see  Lazarus,  who 
was  naturally  an  object  of  curiosity,  and  also  to  see 
Jesus  Himself;  these  accordingly  were  precisely  in  the 
state  of  mind  in  which  they  would  most  readily  catch 
up  the  idea  so  naturally  suggested  by  the  significant 
act  of  our  Saviour's  riding  into  the  city  of  David  on 


jcx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  299 


a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass.  The  result,  accordingly,  was 
as  had  been  intended,  and  is  thus  described  by  our 
Evangelist;  "The  most  part  of  the  multitude  spread 
their  garments  in  the  way  ;  and  others  cut  branches 
from  the  trees  and  spread  them  in  the  way.  And  the 
multitudes  that  went  before  Him,  and  that  followed, 
cried,  saying,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  ;  Blessed 
is  He  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  Hosanna 
in  the  highest"  (R.V.). 

The  excellence  of  the  method  adopted  by  our 
Saviour  to  set  forth  His  royal  claims  will  still  further 
appear  when  we  consider  that  it  arose  quite  naturally 
out  of  the  circumstances  in  which  He  was  placed.  So 
much  was  this  the  case  that  some  have  thought  He  was 
taken  by  surprise,  that  He  had  no  intention  of  calling 
forth  the  testimony  of  the  people  to  His  royal  claims, 
that  in  fact  He  was  only  giving  way  to  a  movement 
He  could  not  well  resist;  but  this  shallow  view  is 
plainly  set  aside,  not  only  by  what  has  been  already 
advanced,  but  also  by  the  answer  He  gives  to  the 
Pharisees  who  ask  him  to  rebuke  and  silence  His 
disciples  :  "  I  tell  you  that  if  these  should  hold  their 
peace,  the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out"  (Luke 
xix.  39,  40). 

Not  only  did  the  means  adopted  by  our  Lord  rise 
naturally  out  of  the  circumstances  in  which  He  and 
His  followers  were  placed,  but  they  were  specially 
suited  to  suggest  important  truths  concerning  the 
kingdom  He  claimed  as  His  own.  We  have  already 
seen  that,  if  He  had  entered  the  city  in  regal  pomp 
and  splendour,  it  would  have  conveyed  an  entirely 
false  idea  of  the  kingdom.  The  method  He  did  adopt 
was  such  as  to  give  a  true  idea  of  it. 

First,  it  strikingly  suggested  the  kingliness  of  lowli- 


300  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHRvV. 

ness,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  one  of  its  great 
distinctive  principles.  As  we  look  back  over  His 
recent  instructions  to  His  disciples,  we  see  how  very 
much  this  thought  was  in  His  heart  and  how  great  was 
the  importance  He  attached  to  it.  He  had  just  taught 
them  that  the  Son  of  man  had  come,  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister  and  to  give  His  life 
a  ransom  for  many;  and  His  manner  of  entering  into 
His  capital  must  be  in  harmony  with  the  lowly,  self- 
renouncing  work  He  has  come  to  do.  Thus  He  shows 
in  the  most  impressive  way  that  His  kingdom  is  not 
of  this  world.  There  is  no  suggestion  of  rivalry  with 
Caesar ;  yet  to  those  who  look  beneath  the  surface  He 
is  manifestly  more  of  a  king  than  any  Caesar.  He  has 
knowledge  of  everything  without  a  spy  (ver.  2) ;  He 
has  power  over  men  without  a  soldier  (ver.  3) ;  He  has 
simply  to  say  "The  Lord  hath  need,"  and  immediately 
His  royal  will  is  loyally  fulfilled.  Evidently  He  has 
the  mind  of  a  King  and  the  will  of  a  King ;  has  He 
not  also  the  heart  of  a  King,  of  a  true  Shepherd  of  the 
people  ?  See  how  He  bears  the  burden  of  their  future 
on  His  heart,  a  burden  which  weighs  so  heavily  upon 
Him  that  He  cannot  restrain  His  tears  (Luke  xix. 
41-44).  There  is  no  kingly  state;  but  was  not  His 
a  kingly  soul,  Who  in  such  humble  guise  rode  into 
Jerusalem  that  day? 

Not  less  than  lowliness,  is  peace  suggested  as  char- 
acteristic of  His  kingdom.  First  by  the  manner  01 
His  entrance ;  for  while  the  horse  and  the  chariot  were 
suggestive  of  war,  the  ass  was  the  symbol  of  peace. 
And  then,  the  prophecy  is  one  of  peace.  Immediately 
after  the  words  quoted  by  the  Evangelist  there  follows 
this  remarkable  promise  :  "  I  will  cut  off  the  chariot 
from  Ephraim,  and  the  horse  from  Jerusalem,  and  the 


xx.  17-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  301 

battle  bow  shall  be  cut  off;  and  He  shall  speak  peace 
unto  the  heathen ;  and  His  dominion  shall  be  from  sea 
even  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  even  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth."  It  would  seem,  indeed,  that  some  at  least  in 
the  multitude  realised  that  through  the  Messiah  was 
to  be  expected  a  deeper  peace  than  that  between  man 
and  man.  This  deeper  peace  may  have  been  suggested 
to  their  minds  by  the  words  following  next  in  the 
prophecy,  which  goes  on  to  speak  of  prisoners  of  hope 
rescued  from  the  pit,  and  turning  to  the  stronghold ;  or 
by  the  Psalm  from  which  their  cry  "  Hosanna  in  the 
highest "  was  taken  (Ps.  cxviii.) ;  certain  it  is  that  their 
minds  did  rise  to  a  higher  conception  of  the  work  of 
the  Messiah  than  they  had  given  token  of  before ;  for 
the  cry  of  some  of  them  at  least  was  "Peace  in  heaven, 
and  glory  in  the  highest  "  (Luke  xix.  38).  A  striking 
proof  this,  of  the  fitness  of  His  manner  of  entering 
into  His  capital  to  suggest  the  purest,  highest  and  best 
thoughts  concerning  the  kingdom  which  He  claimed  as 
His  own. 

As  Jerusalem  was  the  city  of  the  great  King,  the 
Temple  was  His  house,  His  royal  palace,  and  accord- 
ingly He  enters  it  and  takes  possession  in  His  Father's 
name.  We  are  told  by  St.  Mark  that  "  when  He  had 
looked  round  about  upon  all  things,  it  being  now 
eventide,  He  went  out  unto  Bethany  with  the  twelve." 
But  St.  Matthew,  who  is  accustomed  to  pay  more 
attention  to  the  logical  than  to  the  exact  chronological 
sequence  of  events,  proceeds  at  once  to  relate  the 
purging  of  the  Temple,  which  really  took  place  the 
following  day,  but  which  was  so  plainly  the  natural 
sequel  of  His  royal  entrance  that  he  very  properly 
gives  it  in  close  connection  therewith.  Besides,  what 
the    King  did   on  entering  the  Temple  the  next   day 


jo*  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

admirably  illustrates  the  prophecy.  For  what  saith  the 
prophet  ?  u  Behold  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee  :  He 
is  just;  and  having  salvation."  "He  is  Just" — 
therefore  He  will  not  tolerate  the  unholy  traffic  in  the 
Temple,  but  "  cast  out  all  them  that  sold  and  bought 
in  the  Temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money- 
changers and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold  the  doves;  and 
He  saith  unto  them,  My  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of 
prayer ;  but  ye  make  it  a  den  of  robbers  "  (R.V.)  :  "  and 
having  salvation" — accordingly,  when  He  sees  the  blind 
and  the  lame  in  the  Temple  He  does  not  turn  them  out, 
He  does  not  turn  away  from  them,  "  He  healed  them." 
The  casting  out  of  the  traders  illustrated  the  right- 
eousness of  the  kingdom,  the  healing  of  the  blind  and 
lame,  its  peace,  and  the  shouts  of  the  children  which 
followed,  its  joy. 

This  coming  of  the  King  to  His  capital  has  been 
familiarly  spoken  of  as  "the  triumphal  entry."  The 
term  seems  unfortunate  and  misleading.  The  waving  of 
palms,  the  strewing  of  branches  and  leaves,  the  spread- 
ing of  garments  on  the  way — all  this  gave  it  something 
of  the  aspect  of  a  triumph  ;  but  that  it  was  no  triumph 
none  knew  better  than  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  Who  was 
the  centre  of  it  all.  There  was  certainly  no  triumph  in 
His  heart  that  day.  If  you  wish  to  look  into  His 
heart,  wTatch  Him  as  He  comes  to  the  turn  of  the  road 
where  first  the  great  city  bursts  upon  His  sight.  How 
it  glitters  in  the  sun,  its  palaces  and  towers  gleaming  in 
the  splendour  of  the  day,  its  magnificent  Temple,  which 
had  taken  nearly  half  a  century  to  build,  rearing  its 
stately  head  high  above  all,  into  the  glorious  heaven — 
a  city  and  a  temple  for  a  king  to  be  proud  of,  especially 
when  seen  through  waving  palm  branches  held  in  the 
hands  of  a  rejoicing  throng  who  shout  "  Hosanna  to 


xx.  i7-xxi.  17.]  TO  JERUSALEM.  303 

the  Son  of  David,  Hosanna  in  the  highest !"  Surely 
His  soul  must  be  thrilled  with  jubilant  emotion  ! 

Ah !  but  look  at  Him :  look  at  Him  closely.  Go  up  to 
Him,  near  enough  to  see  His  face  and  hear  what  He  is 
saying.  Is  He  jubilant  ?  His  eyes  are  wet  with  tears ; 
and  with  tears  in  His  voice  He  is  speaking  "  the  saddest 
words  of  tongue  or  pen  "  :  O  Jerusalem,  "  if  thou  hadst 
known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things 
which  belong  unto  thy  peace  !  but  now  they  are  hid 
from  thine  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee, 
that  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and 
compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and 
shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children 
within  thee ;  and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone 
upon  another;  because  thou  knewest  not  the  time  of 
thy  visitation."  Ah  !  well  the  Man  of  Sorrows  knew 
what  all  that  shouting  and  rejoicing  were  worth ;  not 
even  for  a  moment  was  He  misled  by  it ;  no  less 
certainly  now,  when  the  plaudits  of  the  multitudes  were 
ringing  around  Him,  than  when  He  had  been  on  the 
way  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  did  He  know  that,  though 
He  was  the  rightful  King,  He  should  receive  no  king's 
welcome,  but  should  suffer  many  things  and  die.  He 
knew  that  it  was  to  no  royal  palace,  but  to  the  bitter 
cross,  He  was  advancing,  as  He  rode  down  Olivet, 
across  the  Kedron,  and  up  to  the  city  of  David.  Yet 
it  is  not  the  thought  of  His  own  cross  that  draws  the 
tears  from  His  eyes ;  it  is  the  thought  of  the  woes 
impending  over  those  whom  He  has  come  to  save,  but 
who  will  have  none  of  Him.  O  the  depth  of  divine 
love  in  these  self-forgetful  tears  ! 

One  thrill  of  joy  the  day  had  for  the  King  of  sorrows. 
It  was  His  welcome  from  the  children.  The  plaudits 
of  the  multitude  He  seems  to  have  received  in  silence. 


304  THE   GOShs    '.   OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 


Why  should  He  be  n  d  by  hosannas  from  the  lips 
of  those  who,  as  soOi  as  they  shall  find  out  what 
manner  of  King  He  is  will  cry  "  Away  with  Him  "  ? 
But  the  hosannas  of  the  children  are  genuine  music  to 
His  soul.  The  little  c  js  at  least  are  true.  There 
is  no  guile  in  their  spiri  .  "  Of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  It  is  most  touching  to  observe  how  lov- 
ingly the  heart  of  the  Saviour  goes  out  to  the  little 
ones  at  this  most  trying  time.  The  climax  of  pathos 
in  His  lament  over  Jerusalem  is  reached  when,  after 
speaking  of  the  fate  of  the  city,  He  adds,  "and  thy 
children  within  thee " ;  and  the  same  deep  sympathy 
with  the  little  ones  is  shown  in  the  answer  He  gives  to 
the  mean-spirited  priests  and  scribes  who  were  moved 
with  indignation  and  tried  to  silence  their  sweet  voices  : 
i1  Have  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and 
sucklings  Thou  hast  perfected  praise  ?  " 

"And  He  left  them,  and  went  out  of  the  city  into 
Bethany,  and  He  lodged  there," — not  in  the  house 
of  Lazarus,  we  may  be  sure,  or  He  would  not  have 
"  hungered  "  when  in  the  morning  He  returned  to  the 
city  (ver.  18)  ;  no  doubt  under  the  open  canopy  of 
heaven,  or  at  best  under  some  booth  erected  as  a 
temporary  shelter.  What  were  His  thoughts,  what 
His  feelings,  as  He  looked  back  on  the  day  and  for 
ward  to  the  week  ? 


vw< 


•r,  -or 
o 


XVII. 

CONFLICT  IN    THE    TEMPLE, 

Matt.  xxi.  18— xxiii. 

TT  had  been  written  that  the  Lord  should  suddenly 
come  to  His  Temple  (Mai.  iii.  i) ;  but  He  would 
not  too  hastily  assert  His  rights.  The  first  day  He 
simply  "  looked  round  about  upon  all  things "  (Mark 
xi.  Il),  and  then  withdrew  to  Bethany.  The  second 
day — without,  however,  even  yet  assailing  the  authority 
of  those  in  power — He  assumed  His  prerogative  as  Lord 
of  the  Temple  by  casting  out  the  traffickers,  healing 
the  blind  and  the  lame,  and  accepting  the  hosannas  of 
the  children.  The  scribes  and  Pharisees  showed  some 
displeasure  at  all  this,  and  raised  objections ;  but  the 
answer  they  received  silenced,  if  it  did  not  satisfy  them. 
Thus  two  days  passed  without  any  serious  attempt  to 
dispute  His  authority  ;  but  on  the  third  day  the  conflict 
began.  It  was  a  dark  and  terrible  day,  and  of  its  fateful 
history  we  have  a  full  account  in  this  Gospel. 

The  day  opens  with  the  sight  on  the  way  to  the  city 
of  the  withered  fig  tree,  a  sad  symbol  of  the  impending 
fate  of  Israel,  to  be  decided  ere  the  day  closed  by  their 
final  rejection  of  their  Saviour-King.  This  was  our 
Lord's  single  miracle  of  judgment ;  many  a  stern  word 
of  warning  did  He  speak,  but  there  is  no  severity  in 
His  deeds :  they  are  all  mercy  and  love.      The  single 

20 


306  THE   GOSrEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW, 

exception,  if  exception  it  may  be  called,  makes  this 
great  fact  stand  out  only  the  more  impressively.  It 
was  necessary  for  love's  sake  to  show  that  in  that 
arm,  which  was  always  strong  to  save,  there  was  also 
strength  to  smite  if  the  sad  necessity  should  come  ; 
but  so  tender-hearted  is  He  that  He  cannot  bear  to 
strike  where  the  stroke  can  be  felt,  so  He  lets  it  fall 
on  an  unconscious  tree.  Thus  to  the  end  He  justifies 
His  name  of  Jesus,  Saviour,  and  illustrates  the  blessed 
truth  of  which  His  whole  life  is  the  expression,  that 
"  God  is  love."  "  The  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy 
men's  lives  but  to  save  them."  Judgment  is  His 
strange  work ;  from  the  very  thought  of  it  He  shrinks, 
as  seems  suggested  to  us  here  b}'  the  fact  that,  in 
the  use  He  makes  of  the  circumstance  in  His  conver- 
sation with  the  disciples,  He  refrains  from  speaking 
of  its  dark  significance,  but  rather  takes  the  oppor- 
tunity of  teaching  from  it  an  incidental  lesson  full  of 
hope  and  comfort  regarding  the  power  of  faith  and  the 
value  of  prayer  (vv.  21,  22). 

As  soon  as  on  the  third  day  He  enters  the  Temple 
the  conflict  begins.  It  would  seem  that  the  interval  our 
Lord  had  in  mercy  allowed  for  calm  reflection  had  been 
used  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  organise  a  conspiracy 
for  the  purpose  of  entangling  Him  in  His  words  and  so 
discrediting  His  authority.  We  gather  this  from  the 
carefully  framed  questions  with  which  He  is  plied  by 
one  party  after  another.  Four  successive  attacks  are 
recorded  in  the  passage  before  us :  the  first  by  the  chief 
priests  and  elders  of  the  people  demanding  His  author- 
ity ;  the  next  by  the  Pharisees,  assisted  by  the  Herod- 
ians,  who  endeavoured  by  means  of  the  difficulty  of 
the  tribute  money  to  embroil  Him  with  the  Roman 
power ;   this   was   again   immediately   followed    by   a 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  307 

third,  in  which  the  prime  movers  were  the  Sadducees, 
armed  with  what  they  considered  an  unanswerable 
question  regarding  the  life  to  come;  and  when  that 
also  broke  down  there  was  a  renewed  attack  of  the 
Pharisees  who  thought  to  disconcert  Him  by  a  per- 
plexing question  about  the  law. 

We  may  not  discuss  the  long  sad  history  of  these 
successive  attacks  with  any  fulness,  but  only  glance 
first  at  the  challenge  of  our  Lord's  authority  and  how 
He  meets  it,  and  next  at  the  ordeal  of  questions  with 
which  it  was  followed. 

I. — The  Challenge  (xxi.  23 — xxii.  14). 

"  By  what  authority  doest  Thou  these  things  ?  And 
who  gave  Thee  this  authority  ?  "  The  question  was 
fair  enough;  and  if  it  had  been  asked  in  an  earnest 
spirit,  Jesus  would  have  given  then,  as  always  to  the 
honest  inquirer,  a  kind  and  satisfying  answer.  It  is 
not,  however,  as  inquirers,  but  as  cavillers,  they 
approach  Him.  Again  and  again,  at  times  and  in  ways 
innumerable,  by  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  by  His  mighty 
deeds  and  by  His  wondrous  words,  He  had  given 
proof  of  His  Divine  authority  and  established  His 
claim  to  be  the  true  Messiah.  It  was  not  therefore 
because  they  lacked  evidence  of  His  authority,  but 
because  they  hated  it,  because  they  would  not  have 
this  man  to  reign  over  them,  that  now  they  question 
Him.  It  was  obvious  that  their  only  object  was  to 
entangle  Him ;  accordingly  our  Lord  showed  how  in 
the  net  they  were  spreading  for  Him  their  own  feet 
were  caught. 

He  meets  their  question  with  a  counter  question, 
"  The  baptism  of  John,  whence  was  it  ?  from  heaven, 
or  of  men  ? "     The  more  we  examine  this  question, 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


the  more  must  we  admire  the  consummate  wisdom  it 
displays.  We  see  at  once  how  it  turns  the  tables  on 
His  critics ;  but  it  is  far  more  important  to  notice  how 
admirably  adapted  it  was  to  lead  them  to  the  answer 
of  their  own  question,  if  only  they  would  follow  it  out. 
They  dared  not  repudiate  the  baptism  of  John;  and 
had  not  John  baptised  Jesus,  and  solemnly  borne 
repeated  testimony  to  His  Messiahship  ?  Had  he  not 
most  emphatically  borne  that  very  testimony  to  a 
formal  deputation  sent  by  themselves  ?  (John  i.  19-27). 
Finally,  were  not  the  ministry  and  testimony  of  John 
closely  associated  in  prophecy  with  that  very  coming 
of  the  Lord  to  His  Temple  which  gave  them  so  deep 
offence :  "  Behold,  I  will  send  My  messenger,  and  he 
shall  prepare  the  way  before  Me  :  and  the  Lord,  whom 
ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple :  .  .  . 
behold,  He  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 
Our  Lord's  counter  question,  then,  was  framed  with 
such  exquisite  skill  as  to  disappoint  their  malice,  while 
at  the  same  time  it  was  suited  to  guide  the  earnest 
inquirer  to  the  truth. 

The  propounders  of  the  question  were  not  true  men, 
but  hypocrites.  A  negative  answer  they  could  not  give . 
An  affirmative  they  would  not  give.  So  when  they 
refused  to  answer,  our  Lord  replied,  "  Neither  tell  I 
you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things." 

The  Lord  of  the  Temple  now  assumes  the  offensive, 
and  directs  against  His  opponents  a  series  of  parables 
which  He  holds  up  to  them  as  a  triple  mirror  in  which 
from  different  points  of  view  they  may  see  themselves 
in  their  true  character,  and  as  a  set  of  danger  signals 
to  warn  them  of  their  impending  doom.  He  presents 
them  with  such  marvellous  skill  that  He  makes  the 
Pharisees  their   own  judges,  and    constrains   them  to 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  309 

pass  sentence  on  themselves.  In  the  first  parable  He 
constrains  them  to  declare  their  own  guilt;  in  the 
second,  He  makes  them  decree  their  own  punishment ; 
in  the  third,  He  warns  them  of  the  impending  fate  of 
the  people  they  were  leading  to  destruction. 

We  have  said  that  in  these  parables  Christ  assumes 
the  offensive ;  but  this  is  true  only  in  a  very  superficial 
sense.  In  the  deepest  sense  He  spoke  them  not  against 
the  Pharisees,  but  for  them.  His  object  was  to  carry 
home  to  their  hearts  the  conviction  of  sin,  and  to  im- 
press them  with  a  sense  of  their  danger  before  it  was 
too  late.  This  was  what  above  all  they  needed.  It 
was  their  only  hope  of  salvation.  And  how  admirably 
suited  for  His  purpose  were  these  three  parables  \ 
Their  application  to  themselves  was  plain  enough  after 
it  was  stated,  but  not  beforehand;  the  effect  of 
which  was  that  they  were  put  in  a  position  to  give 
an  impartial  verdict  on  their  own  conduct.  It  was  the 
same  method  so  effectively  employed  by  Nathan  in 
bringing  conviction  to  the  conscience  of  David.  Had 
Christ  charged  the  sin  of  the  Pharisees  directly  home 
upon  them,  they  would  have  been  at  once  thrown  on  the 
defensive,  and  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  reach 
their  conscience  through  the  entanglements  of  prejudice 
and  personal  interest.  Christ  wishes  to  disentangle 
them  from  all  that  was  darkening  their  moral  vision; 
and  He  uses  the  parable  as  the  most  effective  means. 
It  is  a  great  mistake,  then,  to  suppose  that  Jesus  con- 
tented Himself  with  turning  the  tables  on  them,  and 
carrying  the  war,  so  to  speak,  into  the  enemy's  country. 
It  was  with  them  a  war  of  words,  but  not  with  Him. 
He  was  seeking  to  save  these  poor  lost  ones.  He 
wished  to  give  them  His  best  for  their  worst.  They 
had  come  to  entangle  Him  in  His  talk.     He  does  His 


310  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW, 

best  to  disentangle  them  from  the  meshes  of  self- 
deception.  The  tone  of  all  three  parables  is  exception- 
ally severe ;  but  the  spirit  of  them  is  love. 

The  Two  Sons  (vv.  28-32). 

The  parable  of  the  two  sons  is  exceedingly  simple ; 
and  the  question  founded  upon  it,  "  Whether  of  them 
twain  did  the  will  of  his  father?"  admitted  of  but  one 
answer — an  answer  which  seemed,  as  it  was  spoken,  to 
involve  only  the  simplest  of  all  moral  judgments ;  yet 
how  keen  the  edge  of  it  when  once  it  was  disclosed ! 
Observe  the  emphatic  word  did,  suggesting  without 
saying  it,  that  it  made  comparatively  little  difference 
what  they  said  (see  xxiii.  3).  So  far  as  profession 
went,  the  Pharisees  were  all  that  could  be  desired. 
They  were  the  representatives  of  religion  in  the  land ; 
their  whole  attitude  corresponded  to  the  answer  of  the 
second  son  :  "  I  go,  sir."  Yet  when  John — whom  they 
themselves  admitted  to  be  a  prophet  of  the  Lord — came 
to  them  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  they  set  his  word 
aside  and  refused  to  obey  him.  On-  the  other  hand, 
many  of  those  whose  lives  seemed  to  say  "  I  will  not," 
when  they  heard  the  word  of  John,  repented  and  began 
to  work  the  works  of  God.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that 
many  of  these  had  entered  the  kingdom,  while  the 
self-complacent  Pharisee  still  remained  without. 

The  words  with  which  the  parable  is  pressed  home 
are  severe  and  trenchant ;  but  they  are  nevertheless 
full  of  gospel  grace.  They  set  in  the  strongest  light 
the  welcome  fact  that  the  salvation  of  God  is  for  the 
chief  of  sinners,  for  those  who  have  been  rudest  and 
most  rebellious  in  their  first  answers  to  the  divine 
appeal ;  and  then,  while  they  condemn  so  very  strongly 
the  self-deceiver,  it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  covering 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  311 

him  with  confusion,  but  in  order  to  open  his  eyes 
and  save  him  from  the  net  in  which  he  has  set 
his  feet.  Even  in  that  terrible  sentence  which  puts 
him  lower  down  than  open  and  disgraceful  sinners, 
there  is  a  door  left  still  unlatched  for  him  to  enter. 
"  The  publicans  and  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  before  you  " ;  but  you  may  enter  after  them.  If 
only  you,  like  them,  would  "  afterward  "  repent — if  you 
would  repent  of  your  hypocrisy  and  insincerity,  as  they 
have  repented  of  their  rudeness  and  rebellion — you 
would  be  as  gladly  welcomed  as  they  into  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

The  Husbandmen  (vv.  33-46). 

The  second  parable  follows  hard  on  the  first,  and 
presses  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  so  closely  that 
they  cannot  fail  to  see  in  the  end  that  it  is  themselves 
they  have  been  constrained  to  judge  and  condemn 
(ver.  45).  It  is  indeed  difficult  to  suppose  that  they 
had  not  even  from  the  beginning  some  glimpse  of  the 
intended  application  of  this  parable.  The  vineyard  was 
a  familiar  symbol,  with  a  definite  and  well  understood 
meaning,  from  which  our  Lord  in  His  use  of  it  does 
not  depart.  The  vineyard  being  the  nation,  the  owner 
is  evidently  God ;  the  fruit  expected,  righteousness  ; 
the  particulars  mentioned  (the  fence,  the  press,  the 
tower)  implying  the  completeness  of  the  arrangements 
made  by  the  owner  for  securing  the  expected  fruit. 
The  husbandmen  are  the  leaders  of  the  people,  those 
who  are  responsible  for  their  direction  and  control.  The 
going  to  a  far  country  represents  the  removal  of  God 
from  their  sight ;  so  that  they  are,  as  it  were,  put  upon 
their  honour,  left  to  act  in  the  matter  of  the  vineyard 
according  to  the  prompting  of  their  own  hearts.     All 


312  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

this  is  contained  in  the  few  lines  which  make  up  verse 
33,  and  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  great  parable. 
Thus  are  set  forth  in  a  very  striking  manner  the  high 
privileges  and  grave  responsibilities  of  the  leaders  of 
the  Jewish  people,  represented  at  the  time  by  the  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  He  was  then  addressing.  How 
are  they  meeting  this  responsibility  ?  Let  the  parable 
tell. 

It  is  a  terrible  indictment,  showing  in  the  strongest 
light  the  guilt  of  their  fathers,  and  pointing  out  to  them 
that  they  are  on  the  verge  of  a  crime  far  greater  still. 
Again  and  again  have  prophets  of  righteousness  come 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  demanded  the  fruits  of 
righteousness  which  were  due.  How  have  they  been 
received  ?  u  The  husbandmen  took  his  servants,  and 
beat  one,  and  killed  another,  and  stoned  another."  So 
have  their  fathers  acted  time  after  time,  and  still  the 
patience  of  the  owner  is  not  exhausted,  nor  does  He 
even  yet  give  up  all  hope  of  fruit  from  His  favoured 
vineyard;  so,  as  a  last  resort,  He  sends  His  son, 
saying,  "  They  will  reverence  my  son." 

We  can  imagine  the  tone  in  which  the  Son  of 
God  would  speak  these  words.  What  a  sublime  con- 
sciousness is  implied  in  His  use  of  them  !  and  how 
touchingly  does  He  in  this  incidental  way  give  the 
best  of  all  answers  to  the  question  with  which  His 
enemies  began !  Surely  the  son,  the  only  and  well 
beloved  son,*  had  the  best  of  all  authority  to  act  for  the 
father !  In  the  former  parable  He  had  appealed  to  the 
recognised  authority  of  John  ;  now  He  indicates  that 
the  highest  authority  of  all  is  in  Himself.  If  only 
their  hearts  had  not  been  wholly  shut  against  the  light, 

*  See  the  accounts  in  the  second  and  third  Gospels. 


xxi-xriii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  313 

how  it  would  have  flashed  upon  them  now!  They 
would  have  taken  up  the  cry  of  the  children,  and  said, 
11  Hosanna  !  blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  " ;  and  the  parable  would  have  served  its 
purpose  before  it  had  reached  its  close.  But  they  are 
deaf  and  blind  to  the  things  of  God;  so  the  awful 
indictment  must  proceed  to  the  bitter  end. 

If  there  was  in  the  heart  of  Christ  an  exalted  con- 
sciousness of  His  filial  relation  to  God  as  He  spoke  of 
the  sending  of  the  Son,  what  a  pang  must  have  shot 
through  it  as  He  proceeded  to  depict  in  such  vivid 
colours  the  crime  they  are  now  all  ready  to  commit, 
referring  successively  as  He  does  to  the  arrest,  the 
handing  over  to  Pilate,  and  the  crucifixion  without  the 
gate  :  "  They  caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the 
vineyard,  and  slew  him."  How  appalling  it  must 
have  been  to  Him  to  speak  these  words  !  how  appalling 
it  ought  to  have  been  to  them  to  hear  them  !  That 
they  did  feel  the  force  of  the  parable  is  evident  from 
the  answer  they  gave  to  the  question,  "What  will  he 
do  to  those  husbandmen  ?  "  and,  as  we  have  said,  they 
must  surely  have  had  some  glimpses  of  its  application 
to  themselves ;  but  it  did  not  disturb  their  self-com- 
placency, until  our  Lord  spoke  the  plain  words  with 
which  He  followed  up  the  parable,  referring  to  that 
very  psalm  from  which  the  children's  cry  of  "  Hosanna" 
was  taken.  From  it  He  selects  the  symbol  of  the  stone 
rejected  by  the  builders,  but  by  God  made  the  head  of 
the  corner,  applying  it  to  Himself  (the  rejected  stone) 
and  them  (the  builders).  The  reference  was  most 
appropriate  in  itself;  and  it  had  the  further  advan- 
tage of  being  followed  by  the  very  word  which  it 
would  be  their  salvation  now  to  speak.  "  Hosanna  "  is 
the  word  which  immediately  follows  the  quotation  He 


314  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


makes,  and  it  introduces  a  prayer  which,  if  only  they 
will  make  their  own,  all  will  yet  be  well  with  them. 
The  prayer  is,  "  Save  now,  I  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord  "  ; 
followed  by  the  words,  "  Blessed  be  He  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  May  we  not  assume  that  our 
Lord  paused  after  making  His  quotation,  to  give  them 
the  opportunity  of  adopting  it  as  their  own  prayer  ? 
His  whole  heart  was  longing  to  hear  these  very  words 
from  them.  Have  we  not  the  proof  of  it  further  on, 
in  the  sad  words  with  which  at  last  He  abandoned 
the  hope :  "  I  say  unto  you,  ye  shall  not  see  Me  hence- 
forth till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord"  (xxiii.  39)? 

Seeing  they  will  not  take  the  warning  of  the  parable, 
and  that  they  refuse  the  opportunity  given  them  while 
yet  under  its  awe-inspiring  influence,  to  repent  and 
return,  He  must  give  sentence  against  them :  "  There- 
fore say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be 
taken  away  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing 
forth  the  fruits  thereof."  This  sentence  He  follows 
up  by  setting  before  them  the  dark  side  of  the  other 
symbol:  "Whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be 
broken :  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  grind 
him  to  powder."  They  were  stumbling  on  the  stone 
now,  and  about  to  be  broken  upon  it ;  but  the  danger 
that  lay  before  them  if  they  persisted  in  their  present 
unbelief  and  sin,  would  be  far  greater  still,  when  He 
Whom  they  now  despised  and  rejected  should  be  at  the 
head  of  all  authority  and  power. 

But  all  is  vain.  Steeling  their  hearts  against  His 
faithful  words,  they  are  only  the  more  maddened 
against  Him,  and  fear  alone  restrains  them  from  begin- 
ning now  the  very  crime  against  which  they  have  just 
had  so  terrible  a  warning  :  "  When  they  sought  to  lay 


xxi.-xxiii.j  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  315 

hands  on  Him,  they  feared  the  multitudes,  because  they 
took  Him  for  a  prophet." 

The  Marriage  Feast  (xxii.  I-14). 

The  manner  in  which  this  third  parable  is  introduced 
leaves  room  for  doubt  whether  it  was  spoken  in 
immediate  connection  with  the  two  preceding.  The 
use  of  the  word  "answered"  (ver.  1)  would  rather 
suggest  the  idea  that  some  conversation  not  reported 
had  intervened.  But  though  it  does  not  form  part  of 
a  continuous  discourse  with  the  others,  it  is  so  closely 
connected  with  them  in  scope  and  bearing  that  it  may 
appropriately  be  dealt  with,  as  concluding  the  warning 
called  forth  by  the  first  attack  of  the  chief  priests  and 
elders.  The  relation  between  the  three  parables  will 
be  best  seen  by  observing  that  the  first  has  to  do  with 
their  treatment  of  John;  the  second  and  third  with 
their  treatment  of  Himself  and  His  apostles.  The 
second  and  third  differ  from  each  other  in  this :  that, 
while  the  King's  Son,  Who  is  prominent  in  both,  is 
regarded  in  the  former  as  the  last  and  greatest  ot  a 
long  series  of  heavenly  messengers  sent  to  demand  of 
the  chosen  people  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  in  the 
latter  He  is  presented,  not  as  demanding  righteousness, 
but  as  bringing  joy.  Duty  is  the  leading  thought  of 
the  second  parable,  privilege  of  the  third  ;  in  the  one 
sin  is  brought  home  to  Israel's  leaders  by  setting  before 
them  their  treatment  of  the  messengers  of  righteousness, 
in  the  other  the  sin  lies  in  their  rejection  of  the  message 
of  grace.  Out  of  this  distinction  rises  another — ■ 
viz.,  that  while  the  second  parable  runs  back  into  the 
past,  upwards  along  the  line  of  the  Old  Testament 
prophets,  the  third  runs  down  into  the  future,  into  the 
history  of  the  apostolic  times.     The  two  together  make 


316  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

up  a  terrible  indictment,  which  might  well  have  roused 
these  slumbering  consciences,  and  led  even  scribes 
and  Pharisees  to  shrink  from  filling  up  the  measure  cf 
their  iniquities. 

A  word  may  be  necessary  as  to  the  relation  of  this 
parable  to  the  similar  one  recorded  in  the  fourteenth 
chapter  of  St.  Luke,  known  as  "  The  parable  of  the 
Great  Supper."  The  two  have  many  features  in 
common,  but  the  differences  are  so  great  that  it  is 
plainly  wrong  to  suppose  them  to  be  different  versions 
of  the  same.  It  is  astonishing  to  see  what  needless 
difficulties  some  people  make  for  themselves  by  the 
utterly  groundless  assumption  that  our  Lord  would 
never  use  the  same  illustration  a  second  time.  Why 
should  He  not  have  spoken  of  the  gospel  as  a  feast, 
not  twice  merely,  but  fifty  times?  There  would,  no 
doubt,  be  many  variations  in  His  manner  of  unfolding 
the  thought,  according  to  the  circumstances,  the 
audience,  the  particular  object  in  view  at  the  time ;  but 
to  suppose  that  because  He  had  used  that  illustration 
in  Galilee,  He  must  be  forbidden  from  reverting  to  it  in 
Judsea  is  a  specimen  of  what  we  may  call  the  insanity 
of  those  who  are  ever  on  the  watch  for  their  favourite 
"discrepancies."  In  this  case  there  is  not  only  much 
variation  in  detail,  but  the  scope  of  the  two  parables 
is  quite  different,  the  former  having  more  the  character 
of  a  pressing  invitation,  with  only  a  suggestion  of 
warning  at  the  close ;  whereas  the  one  before  us, 
while  preserving  all  the  grace  of  the  gospel  as  sug- 
gested by  the  figure  of  a  feast  to  which  men  are 
freely  invited,  and  even  heightening  its  attractiveness 
inasmuch  as  it  is  a  wedding  feast — the  most  joyful  of 
all  festivities — and  a  royal  one  too,  yet  has  throughout 
the  same  sad  tone  of  judgment  which  has  been  cha- 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  317 

racteristic  of  all  these  three  parables,  and  is  at  once 
seen  to  be  specially  appropriate  to  the  fateful  occasion 
on  which  they  were  spoken. 

As  essentially  a  New  Testament  parable,  it  begins 
with  the  familiar  formula  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
like."  The  two  previous  parables  had  led  up  to  the 
new  dispensation ;  but  this  one  begins  with  it,  and  is 
wholly  concerned  with  it.  The  King's  Son  appears 
now,  not  as  a  messenger,  but  as  a  bridegroom.  It  was 
not  the  first  time  that  Jesus  had  spoken  of  Himself 
as  a  bridegroom,  or  rather  as  the  Bridegroom.*  The 
thought  was  a  familiar  one  in  the  prophets  of  the  Old 
Testament,  the  Bridegroom,  be  it  remembered,  being 
none  other  than  Jehovah  Himself.  Consider,  then, 
what  it  meant  that  Jesus  should  without  hesitation  or 
explanation  speak  of  Himself  as  the  Bridegroom.  And 
let  us  not  imagine  that  He  simply  took  the  figure,  and 
applied  it  to  Himself  as  fulfilling  prophecy ;  let  us  not 
fail  to  realise  that  He  entered  fully  into  its  tender 
meaning.  Wnen  we  think  of  the  circumstances  in 
which  this  parable  was  spoken,  we  have  here  a  most 
pathetic  glimpse  into  the  sanctuary  of  our  Saviour's 
loving  heart.  Let  us  try  with  reverent  sympathy  to 
enter  into  the  feeling  of  the  King's  Son,  come  from 
heaven  to  seek  humanity  for  His  bride,  to  woo  and  to 
win  her  from  the  cruel  bondage  of  sin  and  death,  to  take 
her  into  union  with  Himself,  so  that  she  may  share 
with  Him  the  liberty  and  wealth,  the  purity  and  joy,  the 
glory  and  the  hope  of  the  heavenly  kingdom  !  The  King 
"made  a  marriage  for  His  Son" — where  is  the  bride? 
what  response  is  she  making  to  the  Bridegroom's  suit? 
A  marriage  for  His  Son  I     On  Calvary? 

*  Another  example  of  the  use  of  the  same  illustration  more  than 
once.     See  ix.   15. 


i8  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

It  must  have  been  very  hard  for  Him  to  go  on; 
jut  He  will  keep  down  the  rising  tide  of  emotion,  that 
He  may  set  before  this  people  and  before  all  people 
another  attractive  picture  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
He  will  give  even  these  despisers  of  the  heavenly 
grace  another  opportunity  to  reconsider  their  position. 
So  He  tells  of  the  invitations  sent  out  first  to  "  them 
that  were  bidden  " — i.e.,  to  the  chosen  people  who  had 
been  especially  invited  from  the  earliest  times,  and  to 
whom,  when  the  fulness  of  the  time  had  come,  the  call 
was  first  addressed.  "And  they  would  not  come." 
There  is  no  reference  to  the  aggravations  which  had 
found  place  in  the  former  parable  (xxi.  39).  These 
were  connected  not  so  much  with  the  offer  of  grace, 
which  is  the  main  purport  of  this  parable,  as  with  tlv 
demand  for  fruit,  which  was  the  leading  thought  of  th( 
one  before.  It  was  enough,  then,  in  describing  how 
they  dealt  with  the  invitation,  to  say,  "  They  would  not 
come";  and,  indeed,  this  refusal  hurt  Him  far  more 
than  their  buffets  and  their  blows.  When  He  ic 
buffeted,  He  is  silent,  sheds  no  tears,  utters  no  wail  ; 
I  lis  tears  and  lamentation  are  reserved  for  them  :  "  How 
often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even 
as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and 
ye  would  not ! "     "  They  would  not  come" 

But  the  love  of  the  King  and  of  His  Son  is  not  yet 
exhausted.  A  second  invitation  is  sent,  with  greater 
urgency  than  before,  and  with  fuller  representations  of 
the  great  preparations  which  had  been  made  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  guests:  "Again,  he  sent  forth 
other  servants,  saying,  Tell  them  which  are  bidden, 
Behold,  I  have  prepared  my  dinner :  my  oxen  and  my 
fatlings  are  killed,  and  all  things  are  ready  :  come  unto 
the  marriage."     As  the  first  invitation  was  that  which 


<xi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  319 

had  been  already  given  and  which  they  were  now 
rejecting,  the  second  refers  to  that  fuller  proclamation  of 
the  gospel  which  was  yet  to  be  made  after  the  work  of 
the  Bridegroom-Redeemer  should  be  finished,  when  it 
could  be  said,  as  not  before  :  "  All  things  are  ready." 

In  the  account    which  follows,  therefore,  there  is  a 
foreshadowing  of  the  treatment  the  apostles  would  after- 
wards receive.     Many,  indeed,  were  converted  by  their 
word,  and  took  their  places  at  the  feast ;  but  the  people 
as  a  whole  "  made  light  of  it,  and  went  their  ways,  one 
to   his   farm,    another   to   his   merchandise :    and    the 
remnant  took  his  servants,  and  entreated  them  spitefully, 
and  slew  them."     What  was  the  consequence  ?     Jeru- 
salem, rejecting  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  even  when 
it   was    "preached  with   the    Holy  Ghost   sent   down 
from  heaven,"  must,  be  destroyed  ;  and  new  guests  must 
be    sought   among  the  nations  that  up    till  now   had 
no   especial   invitation   to    the    feast.     This   prophetic 
warning  was  conveyed  in  terms   of  the  parable ;  yet 
there  is  a  touch  in  it  which  shows  how  strongly  the 
Saviour's  mind  was  running  on  the  sad  future  of  which 
the  parable  was  but  a  picture:  "When  the  king  heard 
thereof,  he  was  wroth:  and  he  sent  forth  his  armies, 
and  destroyed  those  murderers,  and  burned  up  their 
city"     Why  "city"  ?     There  had  been  no  mention  of 
a  city  in  the  parable.     True ;  but  Jerusalem  was  in  the 
Saviour's  heart,  and  all  the  pathos  of  His  lament  over 
it  is  in   that  little  word.     "  Their  city"  too,  observe, 
— reminding  us  of  "your  house  "  at  the  close  of  this 
sad   day   (xxiii.    38).     In    the   same   way    the   calling 
of  the  Gentiles  is  most   skilfully  brought  within  the 
scope  of  the  parable,  by  the  use  of  the  peculiar  word 
translated  in  the  Revised  Version — "  the  partings  of  the 
highways,"  which  seems  to  suggest  the  thought  of  the 


320  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

servants  leaving  the  city  precincts,  and  going  out  in  all 
directions  along  the  main  trunk  roads  to  "  the  partings 
of  the  highways/'  to  carry  the  gospel  to  all  without 
distinction,  wherever  could  be  found  an  ear  of  man  to 
listen,  or  a  human  heart  to  welcome  the  King's  grace 
and  the  Bridegroom's  love.  Thus,  after  all,  the  wedding 
was  to  be  furnished  with  guests. 

The  parable,  as  we  have  seen,  is  one  of  grace ;  but 
righteousness  too  must  find  a  place  in  it.  The  demand 
for  fruits  of  righteousness  is  no  less  rigid  in  the  new 
dispensation  than  it  had  been  in  the  old.  To  make 
this  clear  and  strong  the  parable  of  the  Feast  is  followed 
by  the  pendant  of  the  Wedding  Garment. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  the  heavenly  marriage 
feast  may  be  despised  :  first,  by  those  who  will  not 
come  at  all ;  next,  and  no  less,  by  those  who  try  to 
snatch  the  wedding  joy  without  the  bridal  purity.  The 
same  leading  thought  or  motive  is  recognisable  here  as 
in  the  parable  of  the  two  sons.  The  man  without  the 
wedding  garment  corresponds  to  the  son  who  said  "  I 
go,  sir,"  and  went  not,  while  those  who  refuse  altogether 
correspond  to  the  son  who  answered  "  I  will  not."  By 
bearing  this  in  mind  we  can  understand,  what  to  many 
has  been  a  serious  difficulty — how  it  is  that  the  punish- 
ment meted  out  to  the  offender  in  this  second  parable 
is  so  terribly  severe.  If  we  simply  think  of  the  parable 
itself,  it  does  seem  an  extraordinary  thing  that  so  slight 
an  offence  as  coming  to  a  wedding  feast  without  the 
regulation  dress  should  meet  with  such  an  awful  doom ; 
but  when  we  consider  whom  this  man  represents,  we 
can  see  the  very  best  of  reasons  for  it.  Hypocrisy  was 
his  crime,  than  which  there  is  nothing  more  utterly 
Hateful  in  the  sight  of  Him  Who  desireth  truth  in  th«» 


xxi.-xxiii  J  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE  321 

inward  parts.  It  is  true  that  the  representation  does 
not  at  first  seem  to  set  the  sin  in  so  very  strong  a  light ; 
but  when  we  think  of  it;  we  see  that  there  was  no  other 
way  in  which  it  could  be  brought  within  the  scope  of 
this  parable.  It  is  worthy  of  notice,  moreover,  that  the 
distinction  between  the  intruder  and  the  others  is  not 
observed  till  the  king  himself  enters,  which  indicates 
that  the  difference  between  him  and  the  others  was  no 
outward  distinction,  that  the  garment  referred  to  is  the 
invisible  garment  of  righteousness.  To  the  common  eye 
he  looked  like  all  the  rest ;  but  when  the  all-searching 
Eye  is  on  the  company  he  is  at  once  detected  and 
exposed.  He  is  really  worse  than  those  who  would 
not  come  at  all.  They  were  honest  sinners  ;  he  was  a 
hypocrite — at  the  feast  with  mouth  and  hand  and  eye, 
but  not  of  it,  for  his  spirit  is  not  robed  in  white  :  he  is 
the  black  sheep  in  the  fold ;  a  despiser  within,  he  is 
worse  than  the  de?pisers  without. 

Even  to  him,  indeed,  the  king  has  a  kindly  feeling. 
He  calls  him  "  Friend/'  and  gives  him  yet  the  oppor- 
tunity to  repent  and  cry  for  mercy.  But  he  is  speech- 
less. False  to  the  core,  he  has  no  rallying  point  within 
to  fall  back  upon.  All  is  confusion  and  despair.  He 
cannot  even  pray.  Nothing  remains  but  to  pronounce 
his  final  doom  (ver.  13). 

The  words  with  which  the  parable  closes  (ver.  14) 
are  sad  and  solemn.  They  have  occasioned  difficulty 
to  some,  who  have  supposed  they  were  meant  to  teach 
that  the  number  of  the  saved  will  be  small.  Their 
difficulty,  like  so  many  others,  has  been  due  to  forget- 
fulness  of  the  circumstances  under  which  the  words 
were  spoken,  and  the  strong  emotion  of  which  they 
were  the  expression.  Jesus  is  looking  back  over  the 
time  since  He  began  to  spread  the  gospel  feast,  and 

21 


322  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW 


thinking  how  many  have  been  invited,  and  how  few 
have  come !  And  even  among  those  who  have  seemed 
io  come  there  are  hypocrites  !  One  He  specially  would 
*iave  in  mind  as  He  spoke  of  the  man  without  the 
wedding  garment;  for  though  we  take  him  to  be  the 
type  of  a  class,  we  can  scarcely  think  that  our  Lord 
oould  fail  to  let  His  sad  thoughts  rest  on  Judas,  as  He 
described  that  man.  Taking  all  this  into  consideration, 
we  can  well  understand  how  at  that  time  He  should 
conclude  His  parable  with  the  lamentation :  "  Many 
are  called,  but  few  chosen."  It  did  not  follow  that  it 
was  a  truth  for  all  time  and  for  eternity.  It  was  true  for 
the  time  included  in  the  scope  of  the  parable.  It  was 
most  sadly  true  of  the  Jewish  nation  then,  and  in  the 
times  which  followed  on  immediately ;  but  the  day  was 
coming,  before  all  was  done,  when  the  heavenly  Bride- 
groom, according  to  the  sure  word  of  prophecy,  should 
"  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  be  satisfied."  No 
creed  article,  therefore,  have  we  here,  but  a  cry  from 
the  sore  heart  of  the  heavenly  Bridegroom,  in  the  day 
of  His  sorrow,  in  the  pain  of  unrequited  love. 

II. — The  Ordeal  of  Questions  (xxii.  15-46). 

The  open  challenge  has  failed ;  but  more  subtle 
weapons  may  succeed.  The  Pharisees  have  found  it 
of  no  avail  to  confront  their  enemy  ;  but  they  may 
still  be  able  to  entangle  Him.  They  will  at  all  events 
try.  They  will  spring  upon  Him  some  hard  questions, 
of  such  a  kind  that,  answering  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  He  will  be  sure  to  compromise  Himself. 

I.  The  first  shall  be  one  of  those  semi-political  semi- 
religious  questions  on  which  feeling  is  running  high — 
the  lawfulness  or  unlawfulness  of  paying  tribute  to 
Caesar.     The   old  Pharisees  who  had  challenged   His 


oci.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  323 

authority  keep  in  the  background,  that  the  sinister 
purpose  of  the  question  may  not  appear ;  but  they  are 
represented  by  some  of  their  disciples  who,  coming 
fresh  upon  the  scene  and  addressing  Jesus  in  terms  of 
respect  and  appreciation,  may  readily  pass  for  guileless 
inquirers.  They  are  accompanied  by  some  Herodians, 
whose  divergence  of  view  on  the  point  made  it  all  the 
more  natural  that  they  should  join  with  Pharisees  in 
asking  the  question  ;  for  it  might  fairly  be  considered 
that  they  had  been  disputing  with  one  another  in  regard 
to  it,  and  had  concluded  to  submit  the  question  to  His 
decision  as  to  one  who  would  be  sure  to  know  the 
truth  and  fearless  to  tell  it.  So  together  they  come 
with  the  request  :  "  Master,  we  know  that  Thou  art  true, 
and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth,  neither  carest 
Thou  for  any  man  :  for  Thou  regardest  not  the  person 
of  men.  Tell  us  therefore,  What  thinkest  Thou  ?  Is 
it  lawful  to  give  tribute  unto  Caesar,  or  not  ?  " 

But  they  cannot  impose  upon  Him :  "  Jesus  per- 
ceived their  wickedness,  and  said,  Why  tempt  ye  Me, 
ye  hypocrites  ?  "  Having  thus  unmasked  them,  without 
a  moment's  hesitation  He  answers  them.  They  had 
expected  a  "yes"  or  a  "no" — a  "yes"  which  would  have 
set  the  people  against  Him,  or  better  still  a  "no"  which 
would  have  put  Him  at  the  mercy  of  the  government. 
But,  avoiding  Scylla  on  the  one  hand,  and  Charybdis  on 
the  other,  He  makes  straight  for  His  goal  by  asking  for 
a  piece  of  coin  and  calling  attention  to  Caesar's  stamp 
upon  it.  Those  who  use  Caesar's  coin  should  not  refuse 
to  pay  Caesar's  tribute ;  but,  while  the  relation  which 
with  their  own  acquiescence  they  sustain  to  the  Roman 
emperor  implied  corresponding  obligations  in  the  sphere 
it  covered,  this  did  not  at  all  interfere  with  what  is  due 
to  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  in  Whose  image 


3«4  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

we  all  are  made,  and  Whose  superscription  every  one 
of  us  bears  :  "Render  therefore  unto  Caesar  the  things 
which  are  C  oar's ;  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are 
God's."  Thus  He  not  only  avoids  the  net  they  had 
spread  for  Him;  and  gives  them  the  very  best  answer 
to  their  question,  but,  in  doing  so,  He  lays  down  a 
great  principle  of  far-reaching  application  and  permanent 
value  respecting  the  difficult  and  much-to-be- vexed 
question  as  to  the  relations  between  Church  and  State. 
"  O  answer  full  of  miracle ! "  as  one  has  said.  No 
wonder  that  "when  they  had  heard  these  words,  they 
marvelled,  and  left  Him,  and  went  their  way." 

2.  Next  come  forward  certain  Sadducees.  That  the 
Pharisees  had  an  understanding  with  them  also  seems 
likely  from  what  is  said  both  in  verse  15,  which  seems 
a  general  introduction  to  the  series  of  questions,  and 
in  verse  34,  from  which  it  would  appear  that  they  were 
somewhere  out  of  sight  waiting  to  hear  the  result  of 
this  new  attack.  Though  the  alliance  seems  a  strange 
one,  it  is  not  the  first  time  that  common  hostility  to  the 
Christ  of  God  has  drawn  together  the  two  great  rival 
parties  (see  chap.  xvi.  1).  If  we  are  right  in  supposing 
them  to  be  in  combination  now,  it  is  a  remarkable 
illustration  of  the  deep  hostility  of  the  Pharisees  that 
they  should  not  only  combine  with  the  Sadducees 
against  Him,  as  they  had  done  before,  but  that  they 
should  look  with  complacency  on  their  using  against 
Him  a  weapon  which  threatened  one  of  their  own 
doctrines.  For  the  object  of  the  attack  was  to  cast 
ridicule  on  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  which 
assuredly  the  Pharisees  did  not  deny. 

The  difficulty  they  raise  is  of  the  same  kind  as  those 
which  are  painfully  familiar  in  these  days,  when  men 
of  coarse   minds   and    fleshlv   imaginations    show   by 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  325 

their  crude  objections  their  incapacity  even  to  think  on 
spiritual  themes.  The  case  they  supposed  was  one 
they  knew  He  could  not  find  fault  wit>  so  far  as  this 
world  was  concerned,  for  everything  was  done  in 
accordance  with  the  letter  of  the  law  of  Moses,  the 
inference  being  that  whatever  confusion  there  was  in 
it  must  belong  to  what  they  would  call  His  figment 
of  the  resurrection  :  "  In  the  resurrection  whose  wife 
shall  she  be  of  the  seven  ?  for  they  all  had  her." 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  our  Lord's  answer  is  much 
less  stern  than  in  the  former  case.  These  men  were 
not  hypocrites.  They  were  scornful,  perhaps  flippant ; 
but  they  were  not  intentionally  dishonest.  The  diffi- 
culty they  felt  was  due  to  the  coarseness  of  their  minds, 
but  it  was  a  real  difficulty  to  them.  Our  Lord  accord- 
ingly gives  them  a  kindly  answer,  not  denouncing 
them,  but  calmly  showing  them  where  they  are  wrong : 
"  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the  power 
of  God." 

Ye  know  not  the  power  of  God,  or  ye  would  not 
suppose  that  the  life  to  come  would  be  a  mere  repeti- 
tion of  the  life  that  now  is,  with  all  its  fleshly  conditions 
the  same  as  now.  That  there  is  continuity  of  life  is 
of  course  implied  in  the  very  idea  of  resurrection ;  but 
true  life  resides  not  in  the  flesh  but  in  the  spirit,  and 
therefore  the  continuity  will  be  a  spiritual  continuity; 
and  the  power  of  God  will  effect  such  changes  on  the 
body  itself  that  it  will  rise  out  of  its  fleshly  condition 
into  a  state  of  being  like  that  of  the  angels  of  God. 
The  thought  is  the  same  as  that  which  was  after- 
wards expanded  by  the  apostle  Paul  in  such  passages 
as  Rom.  viii.  5-1 1,  I  Cor.  xv.  35-54. 

Ye  know  not  the  Scriptures,  or  you  would  find  in 
the  writings  of  Moses  from  which  you  quote,  and  to 


326  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

which  you  attach  supreme  importance,  evidence  enough 
of  the  great  doctrine  you  deny.  "Have  ye  not  read 
that  which  was  spoken  unto  you  by  God,  saying,  I  am 
the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob?"  Here,  again,  Jesus  not  only  answers 
the  Sadducees,  but  puts  the  great  and  all-important 
doctrine  of  the  life  to  come  and  the  resurrection  of  the 
body  on  its  deepest  foundation.  There  are  those  who 
have  expressed  astonishment  that  He  did  not  quote 
from  some  of  the  later  prophets,  where  He  could  have 
found  passages  much  clearer  and  more  to  the  point : 
but  not  only  was  it  desirable  that,  as  they  had  based 
their  question  on  Moses,  He  should  give  His  answer 
from  the  same  source ;  but  in  doing  so  He  has  put  the 
great  truth  on  a  permanent  and  universal  basis ;  for 
the  argument  rests  not  on  the  authority  of  Moses,  nor, 
as  some  have  supposed,  upon  the  present  tense  "  I  am," 
but  on  the  relation  between  God  and  His  people. 
The  thought  is  that  such  a  relation  between  mortal 
man  and  the  eternal  God  as  is  implied  in  the  declara- 
tion "I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob  "  is  itself  a  guarantee  of 
immortality.  Not  for  the  spirit  only,  for  it  is  not  as 
spirits  merely  but  as  men  that  we  are  taken  into 
relation  to  the  living  God ;  and  that  relation,  being  of 
God,  must  share  His  immortality :  "  God  is  not  the 
God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living."  The  thought*  is 
put  in  a  very  striking  way  in  a  well-known  presage  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews:  "But  now  they  (the  patri- 
archs) desire  a  better  country,  that  is,  an  heavenly : 
wherefore  God  is  not  ashamed  to  be  called  their  God : 
for  He  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city." 

Our  Lord's  answer  suggests  the  best  way  of  assuring 

*  Compare  the  same  thought  in  Ps.  xvi.  8-1 1. 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  327 

ourselves  of  this  glorious  hope.  Let  God  be  real  to 
us,  and  life  and  immortality  will  be  real  too.  If  we 
would  escape  the  doubts  of  old  Sadducee  and  new 
Agnostic,  we  must  be  much  with  God,  and  strengthen 
more  and  more  the  ties  which  bind  us  to  Him. 

3.  The  next  attempt  of  the  Pharisees  is  on  an 
entirely  new  line.  They  have  found  that  they  cannot 
impose  upon  Him  by  sending  pretended  inquirers  to 
question  Him.  But  they  have  managed  to  lay  their 
hands  on  a  real  inquirer  now — one  of  themselves,  a 
student  of  the  law,  who  is  exercised  on  a  question 
much  discussed,  and  to  which  very  different  answers  are 
given ;  they  will  suggest  to  him  to  carry  his  question 
to  Jesus,  and  see  what  He  will  say  to  it.  That  this  was 
the  real  state  of  the  case  appears  from  the  fuller  account 
in  St.  Mark's  Gospel.  When,  then,  St.  Matthew  speaks 
of  him  as  asking  Jesus  a  question,  "tempting  Him,"  we 
are  not  to  impute  the  same  sinister  motives  as  actuated 
those  who  sent  him.  He  also  was  in  a  certain  sense 
tempting  Jesus — i.e.,  putting  Him  to  the  test,  but  with 
no  sinister  motive,  with  a  real  desire  to  find  out  the 
truth,  and  probably  also  to  find  out  if  this  Jesus  was 
one  who  could  really  help  an  inquirer  after  truth.  In 
this  spirit,  then,  he  asks  the  question,  "Which  is  the 
great  commandment  in  the  law  ?" 

The  answer  our  Lord  immediately  gives  is  now  so 
familiar  that  it  is  difficult  to  realise  how  great  a  thing 
it  was  to  give  it  for  the  first  time.  True,  He  takes 
it  from  the  Scriptures;  but  think  what  command  of 
the  Scriptures  is  involved  in  this  prompt  reply.  The 
passages  quoted  lie  far  apart— the  one  in  the  sixth 
chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  the  other  in  the  nineteenth  or 
Leviticus,  in  quite  an  obscure  corner;  and  nowhere  are 
they  spoken  of  as  the  first  and  second  commandments, 


328  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST   MATTHEW. 

nor  indeed  were  they  regarded  as  commandments  in 
the  usually  understood  sense  of  the  word.  When  we 
consider  all  this,  we  recognise  what  from  one  point 
of  view  might  be  called  a  miracle  of  genius,  and  from 
another  a  flash  of  inspiration,  in  the  instantaneous 
selection  of  these  two  passages,  and  bringing  them 
together  so  as  to  furnish  a  summary  of  the  law  and  the 
prophets  beyond  all  praise,  which  the  veriest  unbeliever 
if  only  he  have  a  mind  to  appreciate  that  which  is 
excellent,  must  recognise  as  worthy  of  being  written  in 
letters  of  light.  That  one  short  answer  to  a  sudden 
question — asked  indeed  by  a  true  man,  but  really 
sprung  upon  Him  by  His  enemies  who  were  watching 
for  His  halting — is  of  more  value  in  morals  than  all  the 
writings  of  all  the  ethical  philosophers,  from  Socrates 
to  Herbert  Spencer. 

It  is  now  time  to  question  the  questioners.  The 
opportunity  is  most  favourable.  They  are  gathered 
together  to  hear  what  He  will  say  to  their  last  attempt 
to  entangle  Him.  Once  more  He  has  not  only  met  the 
difficulty,  but  has  dene  so  in  such  a  way  as  to  make 
the  truth  on  the  subject  in  dispute  shine  with  the  very 
light  of  heaven.  There  could  not,  then,  be  a  better 
opportunity  of  turning  their  thoughts  in  a  direction 
which  might  lead  them,  if  possible  in  spite  of  them- 
selves, into  the  light  of  God. 

The  question  Jesus  asks  (vv.  41-45)  is  undoubtedly 
a  puzzling  one  for  them  ;  but  it  is  no  mere  Scripture 
conundrum.  The  difficulty  in  which  it  lands  them  is 
one  which,  if  only  they  would  honestly  face  it,  would 
be  the  means  of  removing  the  veil  from  their  eyes,  and 
leading  them,  ere  it  is  too  late,  to  welcome  the  Son  of 
David  come  in  the  name  of  the   Lord  to  save    them. 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  329 

They  fully  accepted  the  psalm  to  which  He  referred  as 
a  psalm  of  David  concerning  the  Messiah.  If,  then, 
they  would  honestly  read  that  psalm,  they  would  see 
that  the  Messiah  when  He  comes  must  be,  not  a  mere 
earthly  monarch,  as  David  was,  but  a  heavenly  monarch, 
one  who  should  sit  on  the  throne  of  God  and  bring  into 
subjection  the  enemies  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  If 
only  they  would  take  their  ideas  of  the  Christ  from  the 
Scriptures  which  were  their  boast,  they  could  not  fail 
to  see  Him  standing  now  before  them.  For  we  must 
remember  that  they  had  not  only  the  words  He  spoke 
to  guide  them.  They  had  before  them  the  Messiah 
Himself,  with  the  light  of  heaven  in  His  eye,  with  the 
love  of  God  in  His  face  ;  and  had  they  had  any  love  for 
the  light,  they  would  have  recognised  Him  then — they 
would  have  seen  in  Him,  whom  they  had  often  heard 
of  as  David's  son,  the  Lord  of  David,  and  therefore  the 
Lord  of  the  Temple,  and  the  heavenly  King  of  Israel. 
But  they  love  the  darkness  rather  than  the  light,  be- 
cause their  deeds  are  evil :  therefore  their  hearts  remain 
unchanged,  the  eyes  of  their  spirit  unopened  ;  they  are 
only  abashed  and  silenced :  "  No  man  was  able  to 
answer  Him  a  word,  neither  durst  any  man  from  that 
day  forth  ask  Him  any  more  questions." 

III. — The  House  left  Desolate  (xxiii.). 

The  day  of  grace  is  over  for  the  leaders  of  the 
people  ;  but  for  the  people  themselves  there  may  still 
be  hope;  so  the  Lord  of  the  Temple  turns  to  "the 
multitude,"  the  general  throng  of  worshippers,  mingled 
with  whom  were  several  of  His  own  disciples,  and 
solemnly  warns  them  against  their  spiritual  guides. 
There  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  many  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  were  within  hearing ;  for  when 


330  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

He  has  finished  what  He  has  to  say  to  the  people, 
He  turns  round  and  addresses  them  directly  in  that 
series  of  terrible  denunciations  which  follow  (ver. 
13,  seq.). 

His  warning  is  couched  in  such  a  way  as  not  in  the 
least  degree  to  weaken  their  respect  for  Moses,  or  for 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  the  exposition  of  which  was  the 
duty  of  their  spiritual  guides.  He  separates  sharply 
between  the  office  and  the  men  who  hold  it.  Had  they 
been  true  to  the  position  they  occupied  and  the  high 
duties  they  had  been  called  to  discharge,  they  would 
have  been  worthy  of  all  honour ;  but  they  are  false 
men  :  "  they  say,  and  do  not."  Not  only  so,  but  they 
do  positive  evil,  making  that  grievous  for  the  people 
which  ought  to  be  a  delight ;  and  when  they  do  or 
seem  to  do  the  right  thing,  it  is  some  petty  observance, 
which  they  exaggerate  for  the  sake  of  vain  display, 
while  their  hearts  are  set  on  personal  pre-eminence. 
Such  are  the  leading  thoughts  set  forth  with  great 
vigour  of  language  and  force  of  illustration,  and  not 
without  a  touch  of  keen  and  delicate  irony  in  our  Lord's 
remarkable  indictment  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
recorded  by  our  Evangelist  (w.  2-7). 

Then  follows  one  of  those  passages  of  profound 
significance  and  far-reaching  application  which,  while 
admirably  suiting  the  immediate  occasions  on  which 
they  were  spoken,  prove  to  be  a  treasury  of  truth  for 
the  ages  to  come.  At  first  sight  it  strikes  us  as  simply 
an  exhortation  to  cultivate  a  disposition  the  reverse  of 
that  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  He  has  been  draw- 
ing their  portrait ;  now  He  says,  Be  ye  not  like  unto 
them,  but  unlike  in  every  respect.  But  in  saying  this 
He  succeeds  in   laying  down  great  principles  for  the 


xxl.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  331 

future  guidance  of  His  Church,  the  remembrance  of 
which  would  have  averted  most  of  the  evils  which  in 
the  course  of  its  history  have  weakened  its  power, 
hindered  its  progress,  and  marred  its  witness  to  the 
truth.  With  one  stroke  He  abolishes  all  claims  of  men 
to  intervene  between  the  soul  and  God.  "  One  is 
your  Teacher"  (R.V.),  "  One  is  your  Father,"  "  One  is 
your  Master."  Who  is  that  One  ?  He  does  not  in  so 
many  words  claim  the  position  for  Himself;  but  it  is 
throughout  implied,  and  at  the  end  almost  expressed ; 
for,  while  in  speaking  of  the  Teacher  and  the  Father 
He  says  nothing  to  indicate  who  the  One  is,  when  He 
comes  to  the  Master,  He  adds  "even  the  Christ "  (R.V.^. 
Standing  thus  at  the  end  of  all,  these  words  suggest 
that  the  office  of  the  Christ  was  to  bring  God  within 
reach  of  every  soul,  so  that  without  any  intervention 
of  scribe  or  Pharisee,  priest  or  pope,  each  one  could 
go  direct  to  Him  for  instruction  (Teacher),  for  loving 
recognition  (Father),  for  authoritative  guidance  and 
control  (Master). 

We  must  remember,  too,  that  He  was  speaking 
to  His  disciples  as  well  as  to  the  multitude,  and  to 
them  these  words  would  be  full  of  meaning.  When 
He  said,  "  One  is  your  Teacher,"  of  whom  could 
they  possibly  think  but  of  Himself?  When  He 
said,  "One  is  your  Father,"  they  would  recall  such 
utterances  as  w  I  and  My  Father  are  One,"  and  have 
suggested  to  them  the  truth  which  was  so  very  soon 
to  be  plainly  stated :  "  He  that  hath  seen  Me,  hath 
seen  the  Father."  It  is  probable,  then,  that  even 
before  He  reached  the  end,  and  added  the  words 
"  even  the  Christ,"  the  minds  of  His  disciples  at 
least  had  anticipated  Him.  Thus  we  find  in  these 
remarkable  words  an    implicit    claim   on   the   part  of 


332  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Christ  to  be  the  sole  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  of 
His  people:  their  sole  Prophet,  to  teach  them  by  the 
enlightening  and  sanctifying  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
their  sole  Priest,  to  open  up  the  way  of  access  to  a 
reconciled  Father  in  heaven ;  their  sole  King,  alone 
entitled  to  be  the  Lord  of  their  conscience  and  their 
heart. 

If  only  the  Christian  Church  had  been  true  to  all 
this,  how  different  would  her  history  have  been  !  Then 
the  Word  of  God  would  have  been,  throughout,  the 
only  and  sufficient  rule  of  faith,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
dealing  directly  with  the  spirits  of  men  its  sole  authori- 
tative interpreter.  Then  would  there  have  been  no 
usurping  priesthood  to  stand  between  the  souls  of  men 
and  their  Father  in  heaven,  to  bind  heavy  burdens 
and  grievous  to  be  borne  and  lay  them  upon  men's 
shoulders,  to  multiply  forms  and  observances  and  com- 
plicate what  should  have  been  simplest  of  all — the  direct 
way  to  the  Father  in  heaven,  through  Christ  the  great 
Priest  of  humanity.  Then  would  there  have  been 
no  lordship  over  men's  consciences,  no  ecclesiastical 
usurpation,  no  spiritual  tyranny,  no  inquisition,  no 
persecution  for  conscience'  sake.  How  inexcusable  has 
it  all  been  1  It  would  seem  as  if  pains  had  been  taken 
deliberately  to  violate  not  only  the  spirit,  but  the  very 
letter  of  the  Saviour's  words,  as  e.g.  in  the  one  facl 
that,  while  it  is  expressly  written  "  Call  no  man  youi 
father  upon  the  earth,"  the  Church  of  Rome  has  actually 
succeeded  age  after  age  in  getting  the  millions  under 
its  usurped  spiritual  control,  to  give  a  man  that  very 
title ;  for  the  word  "  pope  "  is  the  very  word  *  which 
our    Lord    so    expressly    forbids.       But    all    clerical 

*  ** Papa"  pope,  is  the  Latin  translation  of  the  Hebrew  word  foi 
Father. 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  333 

assumption  of  priestly  power  is  just  as  certainly  and  as 
clearly  in  violation  of  this  great  charter  of  our  spiritual 
liberties. 

"And  all  ye  are  brethren."  This  is  the  second 
commandment  of  the  true  canon  law,  like  unto  the  first, 
and  springing  naturally  out  of  it,  as  naturally  as  the 
love  of  neighbour  springs  out  of  love  to  God.  As 
soon  as  the  time  shall  come  when  all  Christians  shall 
own  allegiance  alike,  full  and  undivided,  to  the  one 
Lord  of  mind  and  heart  and  conscience,  then  will  there 
be  an  end  to  all  ecclesiastical  exclusiveness,  then  shall 
we  see  realised  and  manifested  to  the  world  the  brother- 
hood in  Christ  of  all  believers. 

Turning  once  again  to  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  the 
Lord  of  the  Temple  denounces  them  in  words  perhaps 
the  most  terrible  in  the  whole  Bible.  It  is  a  very 
thunderstorm  of  indignation,  with  flash  after  flash  of 
scorn,  peal  after  peal  of  woe.  It  is  "  the  burden  of 
the  Lord,"  "the  wrath  of  the  Lamb."  Is  this  at  all 
inconsistent  with  the  meekness  and  lowliness  of  His 
heart,  the  love  and  tenderness  of  His  character  ? 
Certainly  not.  Love  is  no  love  at  all,  unless  it  be 
capable  of  indignation  against  wrong.  Besides,  it 
is  no  personal  wrongs  which  stir  the  heart  of  Jesus, 
"Who  when  He  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again,  when 
He  suffered,  He  threatened  not " ;  but  the  wrong 
these  hypocrites  are  doing  to  the  poor  sheep  they  are 
leading  all  astray.  The  occasion  absolutely  demanded 
a  tempest  of  indignation.  There  is  this  further  to 
be  considered,  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  Revealer  of 
God,  must  display  His  justice  as  well  as  His  mercy. 
His  wrath  as  well  as  His  love. 

This  passage,  terrible  as  it  is,  commends  itself  to  all 


334  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

that  is  noblest  and  best  in  us.  Who  is  there  who  does 
not  thank  God  for  this  scathing  denunciation  of  that 
most  hateful  of  all  abominations — hypocrisy  ?  See  how 
He  brands  it  in  every  sentence — "Woe  unto  you, 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! " — how  piece  by 
piece  He  shows  their  miserable  life  to  be  a  lie. 
Hypocrites  I  because  you  profess  to  sit  in  Moses'  seat, 
to  have  the  key  of  knowledge,  to  know  the  way  of  life 
yourselves,  and  show  it  to  others;  and  all  this  pro- 
fession is  a  lie  (ver.  13).  Hypocrites !  because  your 
pretended  charity  is  a  lie,  aggravated  by  the  forms  of 
devotion  with  which  it  is  masked,  while  the  essence  of 
it  is  most  sordid  avarice  (ver.  14).  Hypocrites  /  be- 
cause your  zeal  for  God  is  a  lie,  being  really  a  zeal  for 
the  devil,  your  converts  being  perverts  worse  than  your- 
selves (ver.  15).  Hypocrites!  because  your  morality 
is  a  lie,  making  the  law  of  God  of  none  effect  by 
your  miserable  casuistry  (vv.  16-22).  Hypocrites  /  be- 
cause your  devotion  is  a  lie,  consisting  merely  in 
punctilious  attention  to  the  minutest  forms,  while  the 
weighty  matters  of  the  law  you  set  aside,  like  those 
who  "  strain  out  the  gnat  and  swallow  the  camel " 
(vv.  23,  24,  R.V.).  Hypocrites  !  because  your  whole 
demeanour  is  a  lie,  all  fair  without  like  a  whited 
sepulchre,  while  within  ye  are  "  full  of  dead  men's  bones, 
and  of  all  uncleanness"  (vv.  25-28).  Hypocrites  /  because 
your  pretended  reverence  for  the  prophets  is  a  lie,  for 
had  you  lived  in  the  days  of  your  fathers  you  would 
have  done  as  they  did,  as  is  plain  from  the  way  in 
which  you  are  acting  now ;  for  you  build  the  tombs 
of  the  dead  prophets  and  put  to  death  the  living 
ones  (vv.  29-31). 

The  sin  branded,  sentence  follows :  u  Fill  ye  up  then 
the  measure  of  your  fathers."     Since  you  will  not  be 


*xi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE    TEMPLE.  335 

saved,  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  that  you  go  on  in  sin 
to  the  bitter  end  :  serpents,  u  for  ever  hissing  at  the 
heels  of  the  holy/'  a  brood  of  vipers,  with  no  hope  now 
of  escaping  the  judgment  of  Gehenna  ! 

As  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (see  page  102)  so 
here,  when  He  speaks  as  Judge  He  cannot  conceal 
His  personal  majesty.  All  throughout  He  has  been 
speaking  with  authority,  but  has,  as  usual,  avoided  the 
obtrusion  of  His  personal  prerogative.  Even  in  saying 
"One  is  your  Master,  even  the  Christ,"  it  is  not  at  all 
the  same  as  if  He  had  said,  even  Myself.  All  it  neces- 
sarily conveyed  was,  "One  is  your  master,  even  the 
Messiah,"  whoever  he  may  be.  But  now  He  speaks 
as  from  His  judgment  throne.  He  is  no  longer  think- 
ing of  Himself  as  one  of  the  prophets,  or  even  as  the 
King's  Son,  but  as  Lord  of  all;  so  He  says:  "Where- 
fore, behold,  /  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise  men, 
and  scribes :  and  some  of  them  ye  shall  kill  and 
crucify ;  and  some  of  them  shall  ye  scourge  in  your 
synagogues,  and  persecute  them  from  city  to  city : 
that  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed 
on  the  earth,"  from  Abel  to  Zacharias.*  And,  again, 
"Verily  /  say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall  come 
upon  this  generation." 

But  judgment  is  His  strange  work.  He  has  been 
compelled  by  the  fire  of  His  holiness  to  break  forth 
into  this  tempest  of  indignation  against  the  hypocrites, 
and  to  pronounce  upon  them  the  long-deferred  sentence 

*  The  reason  why  these  two  are  named  is  sufficiently  obvious,  when 
we  remember  that  the  second  Book  of  Chronicles,  in  which  the  martyr- 
dom of  Zachariah  is  recorded,  was  the  last  book  of  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures,  just  as  we  might  say,  All  the  promises  from  Genesis 
to  Revelation.  The  difficulty  which  has  been  made  so  much  of 
(Barachias  v.  Jehoiada)  is  of  no  importance  except  to  those  who  will 
not  remember  that  the  letter  killeth  and  the  spirit  giveth  life. 


336  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

of  condemnation  and  wrath.  But  there  has  been  a 
wail  in  all  His  woes.  His  nature  and  His  name  is 
love,  and  it  must  have  been  a  terrible  strain  on  Him  U 
keep  up  the  foreign  tone  so  long.  "The  wrath  of  the 
Lamb"  is  a  necessary  but  not  a  natural  combination. 
We  may  not  wonder,  then,  though  well  we  may  adore, 
when  after  the  tension  of  these  woes,  His  heart  is 
melted  into  tenderness  as  He  mourns  over  the  fate 
which  all  His  love  may  not  avert :  "  O  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets  and  stonest 
them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I 
have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would 
not!"  Again,  observe  the  lofty  consciousness  shining 
out  in  the  little  pronoun  "/."  He  is  a  young  man  of 
little  more  than  thirty ;  but  His  personal  consciousness 
runs  back  through  all  the  ages  of  the  past,  through  all 
the  times  of  the  killing  of  the  prophets  and  stoning  of 
the  messengers  of  God,  from  Abel  on  to  Zachariah  : 
and  not  only  so,  but  this  Son  of  Israel  speaks  in  the 
most  natural  way  as  the  brooding  mother  of  them  all 
through  all  their  generations — what  wonders,  not  of 
beauty  alone,  and  of  exquisite  pathos,  but  of  conscious 
majesty  in  that  immortal  lamentation  I 

Our  Saviour's  public  ministry  is  closed.  He  has  yet 
many  thirgs  to  say  to  His  disciples — a  private  ministry 
of  love  to  fulfil  ere  He  leave  the  world  and  go  to  the 
Father ;  but  His  public  ministry  is  ended  now.  Com- 
menced with  beatitudes,  it  ends  with  woes,  because  the 
blessings  offered  in  the  beatitudes  have  been  rudely 
rejected  and  trampled  underfoot.  And  now  the  Lord 
of  the  Temple  is  about  to  leave  it — to  leave  it  to  its  fate, 
to  leave  it  as  He  counselled  His  disciples  to  leave  any 


xxi.-xxiii.]  CONFLICT  IN  THE   TEMPLE,  337 

city  or  house  that  refused  to  receive  them  :  shaking  the 
dust  off  His  feet ;  and  in  doing  so,  as  He  turns  from 
the  astonished  hierarchs,  He  utters  these  solemn  words, 
which  close  the  time  of  their  merciful  visitation  and 
leave  them  to  "  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own  way,  and  be 
filled  with  their  own  devices  "  :  "  Behold,  your  hous<= 
is  left  unto  you  desolate."  Your  house.  It  was  Mine. 
I  was  its  glory,  and  would  have  been  its  defence ;  bu* 
when  I  came  unto  My  own,  Mine  own  received  Me  not  ; 
and  now  it  is  no  longer  Mine  but  yours,  and  therefore 
desolate.  Desolate;  and  therefore  defenceless,  a  ready 
prey  for  the  Roman  eagles  when  they  swoop  on  the 
defenceless  brood.  "  For  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not 
see  Me  henceforth  till" — till  when?  Is  there  still  a 
door  of  hope  ?  There  is,  even  for  scribes  and 
Pharisees — hypocrites ;  the  door  ever  open  here  on 
earth  :  "Him  that  cometh  unto  Me,  I  will  in  nowise  cast 
out."  The  door  is  closed  upon  them  for  ever  as  leaders 
of  the  people ;  as  temple  authorities  they  can  never  be 
recognised  again, — their  house  is  left  to  them  desolate , 
but  for  themselves  there  is  still  this  door  of  hope ;  these 
awful  woes  therefore  are  not  a  final  sentence,  but  a 
long,  loud,  last  call  to  enter  ere  it  be  too  late.  And  as 
if  to  show,  after  all  the  wrath  of  His  terrible  denun- 
ciation, that  judgment  is  "  His  strange  work  "  and  that 
He  "delighteth  in  mercy,"  He  points  in  closing  to  that 
still  open  door,  and  says,  "  Ye  shall  not  see  Me  hence- 
forth, till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord" 

Why  did  they  not  say  it  then  ?  Why  did  they 
not  entreat  Him  to  remain  ?  But  they  did  not.  So 
"  Jesus  went  out,  and  departed  from  the  Temple " 
(xxiv.  1);  and  though  eighteen  hundred  years  have 
rolled   away  since  then,   the  time  has  not  yet  come 

22 


338  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

when  as  a  people  they  have  said,  "  Blessed  is  He  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord " ;  accordingly  their 
house  is  still  desolate,  and  they  are  "scattered  and 
peeled" — chickens  that  will  not  nestle  under  the 
mother's  wing. 


w 


XVIII. 

THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT. 

Matt,  xxiv.,  xxv. 

E  have  seen  that  though  the  Saviour's  public 
ministry  is  now  closed,  He  still  has  a  private 
ministry  to  discharge — a  ministry  of  counsel  and  com- 
fort to  His  beloved  disciples,  whom  He  soon  must  leave 
in  a  world  where  tribulation  awaits  them  on  every 
side.  Of  this  private  ministry  the  chief  remains  are 
the  beautiful  words  of  consolation  left  on  record  by 
St.  John  (xiii.-xvii.),  and  the  valuable  wrords  of  pro- 
phetic warning  recorded  by  the  other  Evangelists,  occu- 
pying in  this  Gospel  two  long  chapters  (xxiv.,  xxv.). 

This  remarkable  discourse,  nearly  equal  in  length 
to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  may  be  called  the 
Prophecy  on  the  Mount ;  for  it  is  prophetic  throughout, 
and  it  was  delivered  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  From 
the  way  in  which  it  is  introduced  (w.  1-3)  we  see  that 
it  is  closely  connected  with  the  abandonment  of  the 
Temple,  and  that  it  was  suggested  by  the  disciples 
calling  His  attention  to  the  buildings  of  the  Temple, 
which  were  in  full  view  of  the  little  group  as  they  sat 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives  that  memorable  day — buildings 
which  seemed  stately  and  stable  enough  in  their  eyes, 
but  which  were  already  tottering  to  their  fall  before 

*.  .  .  that  Eye  which  watches  guilt 

And  goodness ;  and  hath  power  to  see 
Within  the  green  the  mouldered  tree, 

And  towers  fallen  as  soon  as  built." 


340  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Thus  everything  leads  us  to  expect  a  discourse  about 
the  fate  of  the  Temple.  The  minds  of  the  whole  group 
are  full  of  the  subject ;  and  out  of  the  fulness  of  their 
hearts  the  question  comes,  "  Tell  us,  when  shall  these 
things  be  ?  And  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  coming, 
and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? "  From  the  latter  part 
of  the  question  it  is  evident  that  the  coming  of  Christ 
and  the  end  of  the  world  were  closely  connected  in  the 
disciples'  minds  with  the  judgment  that  was  about  to 
come  upon  the  Temple  and  the  chosen  people — a  con- 
nection which  was  right  in  point  of  fact,  though  wrong 
in  point  of  time.  We  shall  not  be  surprised,  therefore, 
to  discover  that  the  burden  of  the  first  part  of  the 
prophecy  is  that  great  event  to  which  the  attention  of 
all  was  at  that  moment  so  pointedly  directed.  But 
since  the  near  as  well  as  the  distant  event  is  viewed  as 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man,  we  may  give  to  what  may 
be  called  the  prophecy  proper  as  distinguished  from 
the  pictures  of  judgment  that  follow,  a  title  which 
embodies  this  unifying  thought. 

I.   The  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  (vv.  3-44). 

In  secular  history  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  is 
nothing  more  than  the  destruction  of  any  other  city  of 
equal  size  and  importance.  It  is  indeed  marked  out 
from  similar  events  in  history  by  the  peculiarly  terrible 
sufferings  to  which  the  inhabitants  were  subjected 
before  the  final  overthrow.  But  apart  from  this,  it  is 
to  the  general  historian  an  event  precisely  similar  to 
the  destruction  of  Babylon,  of  Tyre,  of  Carthage,  or  of 
any  other  ancient  city  once  the  seat  of  a  dominion 
which  now  has  passed  away.  In  sacred  history  it 
stands  alone.  It  was  not  merely  the  destruction  of 
a   city,   but  the   close  of  a  dispensation — the  end  of 


xxiv.,  xxv.]    THE  FROPHECY  ON  THE   MOUNT.  341 

that  great  age  which  began  with  the  call  of  Abraham 
to  come  out  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  and  be  the  father 
of  a  people  chosen  of  the  Lord.  It  was  "  the  end  of 
the  world  "  (comp.  R.V.,  ver.  3,  margin)  to  the  Jews,  the 
end  of  the  world  which  then  was,  the  passing  away 
of  the  old  to  give  place  to  the  new.  It  was  the  event 
which  bore  the  same  relation  to  the  Jews  as  the  Flood 
did  to  the  antediluvians,  which  was  emphatically  the 
end  of  the  world  to  them.  If  we  bear  this  in  mind  it 
will  enable  us  to  appreciate  the  tremendous  importance 
assigned  to  this  event  wherever  it  is  referred  to  in  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  and  especially  in  this  momentous 
chapter. 

But  though  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  is  the 
primary  subject  of  the  prophecy,  in  its  full  sweep  it 
takes  a  far  wider  range.  The  Saviour  sees  before 
Him  with  prophetic  eye,  not  only  that  great  event 
which  was  to  be  the  end  of  the  world  which  then  was — 
the  close  of  the  dispensation  of  grace  which  had  lasted 
two  thousand  years ;  but  also  the  end  of  all  things, 
when  the  last  dispensation  of  grace — not  for  Israel 
alone,  but  for  the  whole  world — shall  have  come  to  a 
close.  Though  these  two  events  were  to  be  separated 
from  each  other  by  a  long  interval  of  time,  yet  were 
they  so  closely  related  in  their  nature  and  issues  that 
our  Lord,  having  in  view  the  needs  of  those  who  were 
to  live  in  the  new  dispensation,  could  not  speak  of  the 
one  without  also  speaking  of  the  other.  What  He  was 
then  saying  was  intended  for  the  guidance,  not  only  of 
the  disciples  then  around  Him,  and  of  any  other  Jews 
who  might  from  them  receive  the  message,  but  also  for 
the  guidance  of  the  whole  Christian  Church  through- 
out the  world  to  the  end  of  time, — another  marvellous 
illustration  of  that  sublime  consciousness  of  life  and 


342  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

power,  infinitely  beyond  the  limits  of  His  mere  man- 
hood, which  is  ever  betraying  itself  throughout  this 
wondrous  history.  Had  He  confined  Himself  to  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  His  words  would  have  had 
no  special  interest  for  us,  any  more,  for  example,  than 
the  burden  of  Babylon  or  of  Tyre  or  of  Dumah  in  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures;  but  when  He  carries  us  on 
to  that  Last  Great  Day,  of  which  the  day  of  Jerusalem's 
destruction  (as  closing  the  Old  Testament  dispensation) 
was  a  type,  we  recognise  at  once  our  own  personal 
interest  in  the  prophecy ;  for  we  ourselves  are  indivi- 
dually concerned  with  that  Day — we  shall  then  either 
be  overwhelmed  in  the  ruins  of  the  old,  or  shall  rejoice 
in  the  glories  of  the  new;  therefore  we  should  feel 
that  this  prophecy  has  an  interest  for  us  as  personal 
as  it  had  for  those  who  first  heard  it  on  the  Mount 
of  Olives. 

As  might  be  expected  from  the  nature  of  its  subject, 
the  interpretation  of  the  prophecy  in  matters  of  detail 
is  beset  with  difficulties.  The  sources  of  difficulty  are 
sufficiently  obvious.  One  is  in  the  elimination  of  time. 
The  time  of  both  events  is  studiously  concealed, 
according  to  the  principle  distinctly  announced  by  our 
Saviour  just  before  His  ascension :  i(  It  is  not  for  you 
to  know  the  times  or  the  seasons,  which  the  Father 
hath  put  in  His  own  power."  There  are  in  each  case 
signs  given,  by  which  the  approach  of  the  event  may 
be  recognised  by  those  who  will  give  heed  to  them  ; 
but  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  date  is  studiously 
avoided.  It  is  perhaps  not  too  much  to  say  that  nine- 
tenths  of  the  difficulties  which  have  been  encountered 
in  the  interpretation  of  this  passage  have  arisen  from 
the  unwarrantable  attempts  to  introduce  dates  into  it. 

Another  difficulty  arises  from  the  similarity  of  the 


Kxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE   MOUNT.  343 

two  events  referred  to,  and  the  consequent  applicability 
of  the  same  language  to  both  of  them.  This  leads  to 
different  opinions  as  to  which  of  the  two  is  referred 
to  in  certain  places.  To  show  the  source  of  these 
difficulties  is  to  suggest  their  solution  ;  for  when  we 
consider  that  one  event  is  the  type  of  the  other,  that 
one  is  as  it  were  the  miniature  of  the  other,  the  same 
on  a  much  smaller  scale,  we  need  not  hesitate  to  apply 
the  same  language  to  both, — it  may  be  literally  in  the 
one  case  and  figuratively  in  the  other;  or  it  may  be  in 
a  subordinate  sense  in  the  one  case,  and  in  the  fullest 
sense  in  the  other ;  or  it  may  be  in  precisely  the  same 
sense  in  both  cases.  In  general,  however,  it  will  be 
observed  that  the  lesser  event — the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem — stands  out  in  full  prominence  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  prophecy,  and  the  greater  event — the 
Great  Day  of  our  Saviour's  appearing — in  the  latter 
part  of  it. 

Still  another  source  of  difficulty  is  that,  while  our 
Saviour's  object  in  giving  the  prophecy  was  practical, 
the  object  of  many  who  study  the  prophecy  is  merely 
speculative.  They  come  to  it  to  satisfy  curiosity,  and 
as  a  matter  of  course  they  are  disappointed,  for  our 
Lord  did  not  intend  when  He  spoke  these  words  to 
satisfy  so  unworthy  a  desire ;  and,  though  His  word 
never  returns  to  Him  void,  it  accomplishes  that  which 
He  pleases,  and  nothing  else ;  it  prospers  in  the  thing 
to  which  He  has  sent  it,  but  not  in  the  thing  to  which 
He  has  not  sent  it.  He  has  sent  us  this,  not  to  satisfy 
our  curiosity,  but  to  influence  our  conduct  ;  and  if  we 
use  it  not  for  speculative  but  for  practical  purposes — 
not  to  find  support  for  any  favourite  theory,  which 
parcels  out  the  future,  giving  days  and  hours,  which 
neither  the   angels   in   heaven    nor  the  Son    of  man 


344  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Himself  could  tell  (Mark  xiii.  32) — but  to  find  food  for 
our  souls;  then  we  shall  not  be  troubled  with  so  many 
difficulties,  and  we  shall  certainly  not  be  disappointed. 

Before  we  pass  from  the  difficulties  of  this  prophecy, 
observe  how  strong  an  argument  they  furnish  for  its 
genuineness.  Those  who  deny  the  divinity  of  Christ 
are  greatly  troubled  with  this  prophecy,  so  much  so 
that  the  only  way  in  which  they  can  get  rid  of  its 
witness  to  Him  is  by  suggesting  that  it  was  really 
composed  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
therefore  never  spoken  by  Christ  at  all.  There  are 
difficulties  enough  of  other  kinds  in  the  way  of  such  a 
disposal  of  the  prophecy ;  but  there  is  one  consideration 
which  absolutely  forbids  it — viz.,  that  any  one  writing 
after  the  event  would  have  avoided  all  that  vagueness 
of  language  which  gives  trouble  to  expositors.  To 
those  who  can  judge  of  internal  evidence,  its  obscurity 
is  clear  proof  that  this  discourse  could  not  have  been 
produced  in  the  full  light  of  the  subsequent  history, 
but  must  have  been  what  it  professes  to  be,  a  fore- 
shadowing of  coming  events. 

We  may  not,  with  the  limits  imposed  by  the  plan  of 
these  expositions,  attempt  a  detailed  explanation  of 
this  difficult  prophecy,  but  must  content  ourselves  with 
giving  only  a  general  view.  Our  Lord  first  warns  His 
disciples  against  expecting  the  crisis  too  early  (vv.  4-14). 
In  this  passage  He  prepares  the  minds  of  His  disciples 
for  the  times  of  trouble  and  trial  through  which  they 
must  pass  before  the  coming  of  "the  great  and  notable 
day  of  the  Lord  "  which  was  at  hand  :  there  shall  be 
false  Christs  and  false  prophets — there  shall  be  wars 
and  rumours  of  wars,  and  shaking  of  the  nations,  and 
famines,  and  pestilences,  and  earthquakes  in  divers 
places;  yet  will  all  these  be  only  "the  beginning  of 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  345 

sorrows."  He  also  prepares  their  minds  for  the 
gigantic  work  which  must  be  done  by  them  and  by 
their  brother-disciples  before  that  great  day :  "  This 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the 
world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations ;  and  then  shall 
the  end  come."  Thus  are  the  disciples  taught  the 
very  important  and  thoroughly  practical  truth,  that 
they  must  pass  through  a  great  trial  and  do  a  great 
work  before  the  Day  shall  come. 

He  then  gives  them  a  certain  sign  by  which  they 
shall  know  that  the  event  is  imminent,  when  it  does 
approach.  This  is  not  equivalent  to  fixing  a  date. 
He  gives  them  no  idea  how  long  the  period  of  trial 
shall  last,  no  idea  how  long  time  they  shall  have  for 
the  great  work  before  them — He  simply  gives  them  a 
sign,  by  observing  which  they  shall  not  be  taken  com- 
pletely by  surprise,  but  have  at  least  a  brief  space  to 
make  their  escape  from  the  condemned  city.  And  so 
very  little  time  will  elapse  between  the  sign  and  the 
event,  to  which  it  points,  that  He  warns  them  against 
any  delay,  and  tells  them,  as  soon  as  it  shall  appear, 
to  flee  at  once  to  the  mountains  and  escape  for  their 
lives.  It  is  sufficiently  evident,  by  comparing  this 
passage  with  the  corresponding  place  in  Luke,  where 
our  Lord  speaks  of  Jerusalem  being  compassed  with 
armies,  that  the  "abomination  of  desolation  standing 
in  the  holy  place"  refers  to  some  particular  act  of 
sacrilegious  impiety  committed  in  the  Temple  just  at 
the  time  the  Romans  were  beginning  to  invest  the 
city.  Attempts  have  been  made  historically  to  identify 
this  profanation,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  these  have  been 
successful.  It  is  sufficient  to  know  that  whether  or 
not  the  fact  has  found  a  place  in  history,  it  served  its 
purpose  as  a  sign  to  the  Christians  in  the  city  who  had 


546  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


treasured  up  in  their  hearts  their  Saviour's  warning 
words. 

Having  told  them  what  the  sign  would  be,  and  coun- 
selled His  disciples  to  lose  no  time  in  making  their 
escape  as  soon  as  they  should  see  it,  He  further  warns 
them,  in  a  few  impressive  words,  of  the  terrors  of  those 
days  of  tribulation  (vv.  19-22),  and  then  concludes  this 
portion  of  the  prophecy  by  warning  them  against  the 
supposition — a  very  natural  one  in  the  circumstances — 
that  even  then  the  Son  of  man  should  come. 

So  far  we  have  found  the  leading  ideas  to  be  simple 
and  practical,  and  all  connected  with  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  (1)  Do  not  expect  that  event  too  early;  for 
you  must  pass  through  many  trials  and  do  much  work 
before  it.  (2)  As  soon  as  you  shall  see  the  sign  I  give 
you,  expect  it  immediately,  and  lose  no  time  in  making 
your  escape  from  the  horrors  of  these  awful  days. 
(3)  Even  then,  however,  do  not  expect  the  personal 
advent  of  the  Son  of  man  ;  for  though  it  is  a  day  of 
judgment,  it  is  only  one  of  those  partial  judgments 
which  are  necessary  on  the  principle  that  "  whereso- 
ever the  carcase  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered 
together."  The  personal  advent  of  Christ  and  the  day 
of  final  judgment  are  only  foreshadowed  by,  not  realised 
in,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  close  of  the 
old  dispensation. 

The  three  closing  verses  of  this  portion  of  the  pro- 
phecy refer  pre-eminently  to  the  great  Day  of  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  man  (vv.  29-31).  The  word 
"immediately"  has  given  rise  to  much  difficult)'-,  on 
account  of  the  hasty  conclusion  to  which  some  have 
come  that  "  immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those 
Jays  "  must  mean  immediately  after  the  destruction  of 


xxiv.,xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  347 

Jerusalem ;  according  to  which  all  this  must  have  taken 
place  long  ago.  It  is,  indeed,  sufficiently  obvious  that 
the  tribulation  of  those  days  began  with  the  destruction, 
or  rather  with  the  besieging,  of  Jerusalem.  But  when 
did  it  end  ?  As  soon  as  the  city  was  destroyed  ? 
Nay.  If  we  wish  to  get  some  idea  of  the  duration  of 
those  days  of  tribulation,  let  us  turn  to  the  same  place 
in  the  same  prophecy  as  given  by  St.  Luke  (xxi.  23,  24), 
where  it  clearly  appears  that  it  embraces  the  whole 
period  of  the  Jewish  dispersion  and  of  the  standing  of 
the  Gentile  Church.  "  The  tribulation  of  those  days  " 
is  going  on  still,  and  therefore  the  events  of  these 
verses  are  still  future.  We  look  forward  to  the  Day 
of  the  Lord  of  which  that  terrible  day  of  judgment,  to 
which  their  thoughts  were  first  turned,  was  only  a  dim 
foreshadowing — a  Day  far  more  august  in  its  nature,  far 
more  awful  in  its  accompaniments,  far  more  terrible  in 
its  aspect  to  those  who  are  unprepared  for  it,  yet  full  of 
glory  and  of  joy  to  those  who  "love  His  appearing." 

Appended  to  the  main  prophecy  are  some  additional 
warnings  as  to  time  (vv.  32-44)  setting  forth  in  the 
most  impressive  manner  the  certainty,  the  suddenness, 
and,  to  those  who  are  not  looking  for  it,  the  unexpected  • 
ness  of  the  coming  of  the  Day  of  the  Lord.  Here 
again,  in  the  first  portion  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
and  in  the  latter  portion  the  Day  of  the  Son  of  man, 
is  prominent.  If  we  bear  this  in  mind  it  will  remove 
a  difficulty  many  have  found  in  ver.  34,  which  seems  to 
say  that  the  events  specially  referred  to  in  vv.  29-31 
would  be  fulfilled  before  that  generation  passed  away. 
But  when  we  remember  that  the  prophecy  proper  closes 
with  the  thirty-first  verse,  and  that  the  warning  as  to 
the  imminency   of  the   events  referred  to  commences 


348  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

with  ver.  32,  the  difficulty  vanishes ;  for  it  is  most  natural 
that  the  practical  warning  should  follow  the  course  of 
the  prophecy  itself,  referring  first  to  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  and  passing  from  it  to  that  grand  event 
of  which  it  was  the  precursor.  On  this  principle 
vv.  32-35  are  quite  simple  and  natural,  as  well  as  most 
impressive,  and  the  statement  of  ver.  34  is  seen  to  be 
literally  accurate. 

The  passage  from  ver.  36  onwards  is  still  quite  ap- 
plicable to  the  near  event,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ; 
but  the  language  used  is  evidently  such  as  to  carry  the 
mind  onward  to  the  more  distant  event  which  had  been 
brought  prominently  forward  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
prophecy  (vv.  36-44).  In  these  verses,  again,  not  only 
is  no  date  given,  but  we  are  expressly  told  that  it  is 
deliberately  withheld.  What  then  ?  Are  we  to  dismiss 
the  subject  from  our  minds  ?  Quite  the  reverse  ;  for 
though  the  time  is  uncertain,  the  event  itself  is  most 
certain,  and  it  will  come  suddenly  and  unexpectedly. 
No  time  will  be  given  for  preparation  to  those  who  are 
not  already  prepared.  True,  there  will  be  the  sign  of 
the  Son  of  man  in  heaven,  whatever  that  may  be  ;  but; 
like  the  other  sign  which  was  the  precursor  of  Jerusa- 
lem's destruction,  it  will  appear  immediately  before  the 
event,  barely  giving  time  for  those  who  have  their  lamps 
trimmed  and  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps  to 
arise  and  meet  the  Bridegroom ;  but  for  those  who  are 
not  watching,  it  will  be  too  late — it  will  be  with  them 
as  with  those  who  lived  at  the  close  of  the  very  first 
dispensation,  who  were  "eating  and  drinking,  marrying 
and  giving  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noah 
entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not  until  the  flood  came, 
and  took  them  all  away.  .  .  .  Watch  therefore :  for  ye 
know  not  what  hour  your  Lord  doth  come.     But  know 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT  349 

this,  that  if  the  goodman  of  the  house  had  known 
in  what  watch  the  thief  would  come,  he  would  have 
watched,  and  would  not  have  suffered  his  house  to  be 
broken  up.  Therefore  be  ye  also  ready  :  for  in  such 
an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh." 

II. — Parables  and  Pictures  of  Judgment 
(xxiv.  45 — xxv.). 

The  remainder  of  this  great  prophecy  is  taken  up 
with  four  pictures  of  judgment,  very  striking  and 
impressive,  having  for  their  special  object  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  great  practical  lesson  with  which  the  first 
part  has  closed  :  "  Watch  therefore  "  (vv.  42,  43) ;  "  Be 
ye  also  ready  "  (ver.  44).  In  the  former  portion  of  the 
prophecy  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  in  the  fore- 
ground, and  in  the  background  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  man  to  judgment  in  the  end  of  the  world.  In  this 
portion  the  Great  Day  of  the  Son  of  man  is  prominent 
throughout. 

The  four  pictures,  though  similar  in  their  scope 
and  object,  are  different  in  their  subjects.  The  first 
represents  those  who  occupy  positions  of  trust  in  the 
kingdom ;  the  second  and  third,  all  professing  Chris- 
tians,— the  one  setting  forth  inward  grace,  the  other 
outward  activity ;  the  fourth  is  a  picture  of  judgment 
on  the  whole  world. 

1.   The  Servant  set  over  the  Household  (xxiv.  45-51). 

As  in  the  case  of  the  man  without  the  wedding 
garment,  a  single  servant  is  taken  as  representing  a 
class;  and  who  constitute  this  class  is  made  quite 
clear,  not  only  by  the  fact  that  the  servant  is  set  over 
the  household,  but  also  by  the  nature  of  the  service : 
"to  give  them  their  food  in  due  season"  (R.V.).     The 


35©  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

application  was  evidently  first  to  the  apostles  them- 
selves, and  then  to  all  who  in  the  future  should  be 
engaged  in  the  same  work  of  providing  spiritual 
nourishment  for  those  under  their  charge.  The  very 
pointed  way  in  which  the  parable  is  introduced,  together 
with  the  fact  that  only  one  servant  is  spoken  of, 
suggests  to  each  one  engaged  in  the  work  the  most 
careful  self-examination.  "Who,  then,  is  a  faithful  and 
wise  servant  ?  "  The  underlying  thought  seems  to  be, 
that  such  an  one  is  not  very  easily  to  be  found ;  and 
that  therefore  there  is  a  special  benediction  for  those 
who  through  the  trying  years  are  found  both  "faithful 
and  wise,"  faithful  to  their  high  trust,  wise  in  relation 
to  the  momentous  issues  depending  on  the  manner 
in  which  they  fulfil  it.  The  benediction  on  the  wise 
and  faitl  ful  servant  is  evidently  easy  to  miss  and  a 
great  thing  to  gain. 

But  there  is  more  to  be  thought  of  than  the  missing 
of  the  blessing.  There  is  a  fearful  doom  awaiting  the 
unfaithful  servant,  of  which  the  picture  following  gives 
a  terrible  presentation.  Both  offence  and  punishment 
are  painted  in  the  very  darkest  colours.  As  to  the 
former,  the  servant  not  only  neglects  his  duty  but 
beats  his  fellow-servants,  and  eats  and  drinks  with  the 
drunken.  Here  a  question  arises,  What  was  there  to 
suggest  such  a  representation  to  the  Saviour's  mind  ? 
Surely  it  could  not  be  intended  specially  for  those  who 
were  sitting  with  Him  on  the  mount  that  day.  If  Judas 
was  among  the  rest,  his  sin  was  not  of  the  nature  that 
would  have  suggested  the  parable  in  this  particular 
form,  and  certainly  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
any  of  the  rest  were  in  the  slightest  danger  of  being 
guilty  of  such  cruelties  and  excesses  as  are  here  spoken 
of.     Is  it  not  plain    then,  that  the  Judge  of  all  had  in 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  351 

His  view  the  dark  days  to  come,  when  the  clergy  of  a 
degenerate  Church  would  be  actually  guilty  of  cruelties 
and  excesses  such  as  could  not  be  more  fitly  set  forth 
in  parable  than  by  the  disgraceful  conduct  of  "that 
wicked  servant " ? 

This  is  still  further  confirmed  by  the  reason  given 
for  such  recklessness, — the  evil  servant  saying  in  his 
heart,  "  My  Lord  delayeth  His  coming."  There  is 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  early  Christians  expected 
the  return  of  the  Lord  almost  immediately.  In  so  far 
as  they  made  this  mistake,  it  cannot  be  charged  against 
their  Master;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  He  warns  them 
against  this  error  thoughout  the  whole  of  the  prophecy. 
It  is  plain,  however,  that  those  who  made  this  mistake 
were  in  no  danger  of  saying  in  jheir  hearts,  "  My  Lord 
delayeth  His  coming."  But  as  time  passed  on,  and  the 
expectation  of  the  Lord's  speedy  return  grew  fainter, 
then  there  would  come  in  all  its  force  the  temptation 
to  those  who  did  not  watch  against  it  of  counting  on 
the  Lord's  delay.  When  we  think  of  this,  we  see  how 
necessary  it  was  that  the  danger  should  be  set  forth  in 
language  which  may  have  seemed  unnecessarily  strong 
at  the  time,  but  which  the  future  history  of  the  Church 
only  too  sadly  justified. 

The  punishment  is  correspondingly  severe.  The 
word  used  to  picture  it  ("  shall  cut  him  asunder ")  is 
one  to  make  us  shudder ;  and  some  have  felt  surprised 
that  our  Lord  did  not  shrink  from  the  horror  of  the 
word.  Ah  !  but  it  was  the  horror  of  the  thing  which 
He  dreaded,  and  wished  to  avert.  It  was  the  infinite 
pity  of  His  heart  that  led  Him  to  use  a  word  which 
might  prove  the  very  strongest  deterrent.  Besides, 
how  significant  it  is  !  Think,  again,  of  whom  He  is 
speaking, — servants   set   over    His  household  to  give 


352  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

food  in  due  season,  who  instead  of  doing  this  maltreat 
their  fellow-servants  and  ruin  themselves  with  excess. 
Think  of  the  duplicity  of  such  conduct.  By  office  in  the 
church  "exalted  unto  heaven/'  by  practice  " brought 
down  to  hell"!  That  unnatural  combination  cannot 
last.  These  monsters  with  two  faces  and  one  black 
heart  cannot  be  tolerated  in  the  universe  cf  God. 
They  shall  be  cut  asunder)  and  then  it  will  appear 
which  of  the  two  faces  really  belongs  to  the  man :  cut 
asunder,  his  place  shall  be  appointed  with  the  hypo- 
crites, where  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth 
(ver.  51). 

2  and  3.     The  Virgins;  The  Talents  (xxv.   T-30). 

The  second  and  third  pictures,  presented  in  the  form 
of  two  parables  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  set  before 
us  the  judgment  of  Christ  at  His  coming  on  His  pro- 
fessed disciples,  distinguishing  between  real  and  merely 
nominal  Christians,  between  the  pretended  and  the  true 
members  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  In  the  former 
parable  this  distinction  is  set  before  us  in  the  contrast 
between  the  wise  and  the  foolish  virgins ;  in  the  latter 
it  appears  in  the  form  of  the  one  faithful  and  the  two 
unfaithful  servants.  No  special  significance  need  be 
attached  to  the  respective  numbers,  which  are  evidently 
chosen  with  a  view  to  the  consistency  of  the  parables, 
not  to  set  forth  anything  in  regard  to  the  actual 
proportion  between  hypocrites  and  true  disciples  in  the 
visible  Church. 

The  relation  between  the  two  parables  has  been 
already  indicated.  The  first  represents  the  Church  as 
waiting,  the  second  as  working,  for  her  Lord ;  the  first 
shows  the  necessity  of  a  constant  supply  of  inward 
grace,   the   second   the   need    of  unremitting   outward 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  353 

activity ;  the  teaching  of  the  first  is,  "  Keep  thy  heart 
with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life"  ; 
of  the  second,  "  Do  good  as  ye  have  opportunity,"  "  Be 
faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of 
life."  The  parable  of  the  Virgins  comes  appropriately 
before  that  of  the  Talents,  inasmuch  as  a  Christian's 
inner  life  should  be  his  first  care,  the  outer  life  being 
wholly  dependent  on  it.  "  Keep  thy  heart  with  all 
diligence,"  is  the  first  command ;  "  Do  thy  work  with 
all  diligence,"  the  second.  The  first  parable  calls  aloud 
to  every  member  of  the  Church,  "  Be  wise  "  ;  the  second 
follows  it  with  another  call,  as  urgent  as  the  first, 
"  Be  faithful." 

The  Parable  of  the  Virgins  (vv.  I- 13),  with  its 
marriage  feast,  recalls  the  parable  of  the  marriage  of 
the  King's  Son,  so  recently  spoken  in  the  Temple.  The 
difference  between  the  two  is  very  clearly  indicated  by 
the  way  in  which  each  parable  is  introduced  :  there, 
"  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  " ;  here,  "  then  shall 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened."  The  gospel  feast 
which  was  the  subject  of  the  parable  spoken  in  the 
Temple  was  already  spread;  it  was  a  thing  of  the 
present ;  its  word  was,  "  All  things  are  ready :  come 
to  the  marriage  " ;  its  preparation  had  been  the  object  of 
the  heavenly  Bridegroom's  first  coming.  The  wedding 
feast  of  this  parable  is  yet  to  be  prepared ;  it  is  "  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  "  to  which  the  Lord  will 
call  His  people  at  His  second  coming. 

An  interval,  therefore,  of  unknown  length  must  pass 
meantime  ;  and  herein,  as  the  sequel  will  unfold,  lies 
the  test  which  distinguishes  the  wise  from  the  foolish 
virgins.  This  interval  is  represented  by  a  night,  with 
great  appropriateness,  seeing  that  the  heavenly  Bride- 

23 


354  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

groom  is  the  Sun  of  the  soul.  It  being  night,  all  alike 
grow  drowsy  and  fall  asleep.  To  make  this  a  fault,  as 
some  do,  is  to  spoil  the  parable.  Had  it  been  wrong 
to  sleep,  the  wise  virgins  would  certainly  have  been 
represented  as  keeping  awake.  If,  then,  we  give  a 
meaning  to  the  sleep,  it  is  not  that  of  spiritual  torpor, 
but  rather  such  occupation  with  the  concerns  of  the 
present  life  as  is  natural  and  necessary.  As  the  whole 
of  "  the  life  that  now  is,"  up  till  the  coming  of  the  Lord, 
is  represented  in  the  parable  by  the  night,  and  as  sleep 
is  the  business  of  night,  we  may  fairly  consider  that 
the  sleep  of  the  parable  represents  the  business  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  in  which  Christians,  however  anxious 
to  be  ready  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  must  engage, 
and  not  only  so,  but  must  give  themselves  to  it  with  ar, 
engrossment  which  for  the  time  may  amount  to  as  entire 
abstraction  from  distinctively  spiritual  duties  as  sleep 
is  an  abstraction  from  the  duties  of  the  day.  In  this 
point  of  view  we  see  how  reasonable  is  our  Lord's 
requirement.  He  does  not  expect  us  to  be  always 
equally  wide  awake  to  spiritual  and  eternal  things. 
The  wise  as  well  as  the  foolish  slumber  and  sleep. 

It  is  not,  then,  by  the  temptation  to  sleep  that  the 
interval  tests  the  virgins,  but  by  bringing  out  a 
difference  which  has  existed  all  the  while,  though  at  the 
first  it  did  not  appear.  All  seemed  alike  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  night.  Had  not  every  one  of  them  a 
lamp,  with  oil  in  it,  and  were  not  the  lights  of  all  the 
ten  brightly  burning  ?  Yes ;  and  if  the  Bridegroom 
had  come  at  that  hour,  all  would  have  seemed  equally 
ready.  But  the  Bridegroom  tarries,  and  while  He  tarries 
the  business  of  the  night  must  go  on.  In  this  way 
time  passes,  till  at  an  unexpected  moment  in  the  very 
middle  of  the  night  as  it  were,  the  cry  is  heard  "  Behold 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON   THE  MOUNT.  355 

the  Bridegroom  cometh  ;  go  ye  out  to  meet  Him,  Then 
all  those  virgins  arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps." 
Still  no  difference :  each  of  the  ten  lamps  is  trimmed 
and  lighted.  But  see,  five  of  them  are  going  out 
almost  as  soon  as  they  are  kindled  !  What  is  the 
reason  ?  There  is  no  store  of  oil.  Here,  then,  is  the 
difference  between  the  wise  and  the  foolish,  and  here 
lies,  therefore,  the  main  point  of  the  parable. 

What,  then,  are  we  to  understand  in  the  spiritual 
sphere  by  this  distinction  ?  That  the  wise  and  the 
foolish  represent  the  watchful  and  the  unwatchful  is 
plain  enough  ;  but  is  there  not  something  here  to  let  us 
deeper  into  the  secret  of  the  great  difference  between 
the  one  and  the  other  ?  In  order  to  get  this,  it  is 
not  at  all  necessary  to  ask  for  the  significance  of 
each  separate  detail — the  lamp,  the  wick,  the  oil,  the 
oil  vessel.  The  details  belong  to  the  drapery  of  the 
parable ;  the  essentials  are  manifestly  the  light  and  the 
source  whence  it  comes.  The  light  is  the  very  familiar 
symbol  of  the  Christian  life ;  the  source  whence  it 
comes  is  divine  grace,  abiding  unseen  in  the  heart. 
Now,  there  is  a  certain  superficial  goodness  which 
shines  for  the  moment  much  as  the  true  light  of  grace 
shines,  but  is  connected  with  no  perennial  supply ; 
there  is  no  oil  vessel  from  which  the  lamp  can  be 
constantly  replenished.  There  may  be  a  flaring  up  for 
a  moment ;  but  there  is  no  steady  enduring  light. 

All  which  points  to  the  conclusion  that  the  foolish 
virgins  represent  those  professing  Christians  who  have 
religious  emotion  enough  to  kindle  their  lamp  of  life  and 
make  it  glow  with  a  flame  which  looks  marvellously  like 
true  devotion,  but  which  is  little  else  than  the  blazing 
up  of  natural  feeling ;  while  the  wise  virgins  represent 
those  whose  constant  habit  is  devotion,  whose  grace 


356  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

is  something  they  carry  with  them  always,  so  that 
at  any  moment  the  light  of  it  may  shine,  the  flame 
glow,  pure,  bright,  steady,  inextinguishable.  They  may 
be  as  much  engaged  in  the  business  of  life  as  the 
others,  so  that  no  flame  of  devotion  may  be  seen ;  but 
deep  down,  hidden  out  of  sight,  like  the  oil  in  the 
vessel,  there  is  abiding  grace,  which  is  only  waiting  the 
occasion  to  burst  into  a  flame,  of  prayer  or  praise  or 
joyful  welcome  of  the  Bridegroom  at  whatever  moment 
He  may  come.  The  distinction,  therefore,  is  between 
those  worldly  Christians,  whose  devotion  is  a  thing  of 
now  and  then,  and  those  thorough  Christians  whose 
devotion  is  habitual,  not  always  to  be  recognised  on 
the  surface  of  their  life,  not  always  to  be  seen  of  men, 
not  so  as  to  hinder  their  engrossment  in  business 
hours  with  the  ordinary  duties  of  life,  but  so  as  to 
be  always  there }  the  deep  abiding  habit  of  their  souls. 
There  is  the  secret  of  watchfulness ;  there  the  secret 
of  readiness  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 

This  explains  why  the  wise  virgins  cannot  help  the 
foolish.  It  is  not  that  they  are  selfish,  and  will  not  do 
it;  but  that  it  cannot  be  done.  Some  commentators, 
men  of  the  letter,  have  puzzled  themselves  as  to  the 
advice  to  go  to  them  that  sell  and  buy.  That,  again, 
belongs  to  the  framework  of  the  parable.  The  thought 
conveyed  is  plain  enough  to  those  who  think  not  of  the 
letter  but  of  the  spirit.  It  is  simply  this,  that  grace  is 
not  transferable.  A  man  may  belong  to  the  warmest, 
devoutest,  most  gracious  community  of  disciples  in  all 
Christendom  ;  but  if  he  himself  has  been  foolish,  if  he 
has  not  lived  in  communion  with  Christ,  if  he  has  not 
kept  himself  in  communication  with  the  Fountain  of 
grace,  not  all  the  saints  in  whose  company  he  has 
passed  the  night  of  the  Lord's  personal  absence,  how- 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  OH  THE  MOUNT.  357 

ever  willing  they  may  be,  will  be  able  to  lend  him  as 
much  as  one  drop  of  the  sacred  oil. 

The  same  principles  are  applicable  to  the  solemn 
close  of  the  parable.  The  question  has  been  askea. 
Why  did  not  the  Bridegroom  open  the  door  ?  Late 
though  the  foolish  virgins  were,  they  wished  to  enter, 
and  why  should  they  not  be  allowed  ?  Again  let  us 
look  beyond  the  letter  of  the  parable  to  the  spirit  of  it 
— to  the  great  spiritual  facts  it  pictures  for  us.  If  it 
were  the  mere  opening  of  a  door  that  would  remedy  the 
lateness,  assuredly  it  wrould  be  done ;  but  the  real  fact 
is,  that  the  lateness  is  now  beyond  remedy.  The  door 
cannot  be  opened.  Ponder  the  solemn  words  :  "  I  know 
you  not."  It  is  a  question  of  the  union  of  the  life  with 
Christ.  The  wise  virgins  had  lived  a  life  that  was 
always,  even  in  sleep,  hid  with  Christ  in  God ;  the 
foolish  virgins  had  not :  they  had  lived  a  life  which 
had  transient  shows  of  devotion  in  it,  but  no  reality — 
a  mistake  too  fatal  to  be  in  any  wise  remedied  by  the 
spasms  of  a  few  minutes  at  the  close.  It  is  the  old 
familiar  lesson,  that  cannot  be  taught  too  often  or  taken 
to  heart  too  earnestly  ;  that  the  only  way  to  die  the 
death  of  the  righteous  is  to  live  the  life  of  the  righteous. 

The  Parable  of  the  Talents  deals  with  the  same  sub- 
jects— viz.,  the  professed  disciples  of  Christ ;  only  instead 
of  searching  the  reality  of  their  inner  life,  it  tests  the 
faithfulness  of  their  service.  As  in  the  former  parable 
so  in  this,  stress  is  laid  on  the  time  that  must  elapse 
before  the  Lord's  return.  The  employer  of  the  servants 
travels  "into  a  far  country";  and  it  is  "after  a  long 
time"  (ver.  19)  that  "He  cometh,  and  reckoneth  with 
them."  Similarly,  in  the  cognate  parable  of  "  the 
pounds,"  reported  by  St.  Luke,  we  are  told  that  it  was 


358  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

spoken,  w  because  they  thought  that  the  kingdom  of 
God  should  immediately  appear"  (Luke  xix.  n).  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  both  these  parables  were 
intended  to  guard  against  the  temptation  to  make  the 
anticipation  of  the  Lord's  return  an  excuse  for  neglect 
of  present  duty. 

There  is  evidence  that  within  a  short  time  some 
Christians  in  Thessalonica  fell  into  this  very  temptation, 
—so  much  so  as  to  render  it  necessary  that  the  apostle 
Paul  should  write  them  a  letter,  his  second  epistle,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  reproving  them  and  setting 
them  right.  His  first  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  had 
laid  stress  on  the  suddenness  of  the  Lord's  coming,  as 
Christ  Himself  does  again  and  again  throughout  this 
discourse ;  but  the  result  was  that  some  of  them,  con- 
founding suddenness  with  imminence,  gave  themselves 
up  to  idle  waiting  or  feverish  expectancy,  to  the  neglect 
even  of  the  most  ordinary  duties.  To  meet  this  he  had 
to  call  attention  to  the  divine  ordinance,  that  u  if  any 
would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat,"  and  to  enforce 
it  with  all  the  authority  of  Christ  Himself :  "  Now  them 
that  are  such  (viz.,  those  excited  "  busybodies  "  "  work- 
ing not  at  all ")  we  command  and  exhort  by  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  with  quietness  they  work,  and  eat 
their  own  bread"  (2  Thess.  iii.  10-12);  following  it 
up  with  a  caution,  on  the  other  hand,  against  allowing 
the  Lord's  delay  to  discourage  them  in  their  activity  in 
His  service :  "  But  ye,  brethren,  be  not  weary  in  well 
doing." 

All  this  helps  us  to  see  how  necessary  it  was  that 
the  parable  of  waiting  should  be  followed  by  a  summons 
to  work,  and  to  admire  the  marvellous  insight  of  our 
Lord  into  human  nature  in  recognising  beforehand 
where  hidden  dangers  would  lurk  in  His  people's  path. 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  359 

Unhappily,  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  back  to  the  case 
of  the  Thessalonians  to  see  how  needful  it  is  that  the 
parable  of  work  should  go  along  with  the  parable  of 
waiting;  we  have  painful  illustration  of  it  in  our  own 
day.  Thanks  to  the  clearness  and  strength  of  our 
Lord's  teaching,  the  great  majority  of  those  who  in  our 
day  look  for  His  almost  immediate  return  are  not  only 
diligent  in  work,  but  an  example  and  a  rebuke  to  man} 
who  do  not  share  their  expectations  ;  but  on  the  other 
hand  there  are  not  a  few  who  have  been  so  far  led 
astray  as  to  give  up  positions  of  great  usefulness,  and 
discontinue  work  in  which  they  had  been  signally 
blessed,  with  the  idea  that  the  great  event  being  now 
so  near,  the  sole  duty  of  the  believer  is  to  wait  for  it. 

The  parable  assumes  that  all  disciples  are  servants 
of  Christ,  and  that  all  of  them  have  work  for  Christ 
to  do.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  for  narrowing  the 
field  of  service  to  what  is  in  current  phrase  distinctively 
spoken  of  as  "  Christian  work."  All  the  work  of 
Christian  people  should  be  Christian  work,  and  is 
Christian  work,  if  it  be  done  as  it  ought  to  be  done, 
11  as  to  the  Lord."  There  must  evidently,  however, 
be  the  desire  and  purpose  to  "serve  the  Lord  Christ," 
whatever  the  nature  of  the  service  be. 

The  talents  signify  ability  and  opportunity.  We 
must  beware  of  using  the  word  in  any  limited  or  con- 
ventional sense.  In  ordinary  conversation  the  word  is 
generally  applied  to  abilities  above  the  average,  as,  for 
example,  when  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability 
is  spoken  of  as  "a  man  of  talent,"  or  "  a  talented  man." 
The  word  ability,  indeed,  is  used  in  the  same  way. 
"  A  man  of  ability,"  "  an  able  man,"  means  a  man  able 
to  do  more  than  most  people  can ;  whereas,  properly 
speaking,  and  in  the  sense  of  the  parable,  ?  man  who  is 


360  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

able  to  do  anything — to  break  stones,  to  write  his  name, 
to  speak  a  sentence  of  sense — is  an  able  man.  He  is  not 
generally  so  called,  but  he  really  is  a  talented  man,  for 
God  has  given  him,  as  He  has  given  to  every  one, 
certain  ability,  and  according  to  that  ability  is  the 
talent  for  service  with  which  Christ  entrusts  him.  At 
first  sight  this  phrase  "  according  to  his  several  ability  " 
seems  invidious,  as  if  suggesting  that  Christ  was  a 
respecter  of  persons,  and  dealt  more  liberally  with  the 
strong  than  with  the  weak.  But  the  talents  are  not 
merely  gifts, — they  are  trusts  involving  responsibility ; 
and  therefore  it  is  simple  justice  to  graduate  them 
according  to  ability.  As  we  shall  see,  there  is  no 
respect  of  persons  in  appointing  the  awards.  But  as 
respects  the  talents,  involving  as  they  do  a  burden  of 
responsibility,  it  is  very  evident  that  it  would  be  no 
kindness  to  the  man  of  less  ability  that  he  should  be 
made  responsible  for  more  than  he  can  easily  undertake. 
The  gradations  of  five,  two,  one,  appropriately  cor- 
respond to  what  we  speak  of  as  superior,  ordinary 
and  inferior  ability.  At  this  point  occurs  the  main 
distinction  between  this  parable  and  the  similar  one  of 
the  pounds,  spoken  at  a  different  time  and  with  a 
different  purpose.  Here  the  servants  all  differ  at  first, 
but  the  faithful  ones  are  alike  in  the  end,  inasmuch 
as  they  have  done  equally  well  in  proportion  to  their 
ability.  There  the  servants  are  all  alike  at  the  begin- 
ning, but  the  faithful  ones  receive  different  awards, 
inasmuch  as  they  have  differed  in  the  degree  of  their 
diligence  and  faithfulness.  The  two  together  bring  out 
with  striking  clearness  and  force  the  great  thought 
that  not  success  but  faithfulness  is  what  the  Lord 
insists  on.  The  weakest  is  at  no  disadvantage ;  he 
may  not  only  do  as  well  as  the  strongest,  but  if  the 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  OH  THE  MOUNT,  361 

measure   of  his  diligence   and    faithfulness   is   higher 
he  may  even  excel  him. 

It  is  in  keeping  with  the  difference  in  the  scope  of 
the  two  parables  that  in  the  one  the  sums  entrusted 
should  be  large  (talents),  in  the  other,  small  (pounds). 
In  the  parable  which  has  for  its  main  lesson,  "  Make 
the  most  of  the  little  you  have,"  the  amounts  entrusted 
are  small ;  while  the  large  sums  are  fitly  found  in  the 
parable  which  emphasizes  what  may  be  called  the 
other  side  of  the  great  lesson,  "  To  whom  much  is 
given,  of  them  much  shall  be  required." 

Confining  our  attention  now  to  the  parable  before 
us,  we  have  first  the  encouraging  side  in  the  cases  of 
two  of  the  servants.  The  number  is  evidently  chosen 
as  the  very  smallest  that  would  bring  out  the  truth 
that  where  abilities  differ  the  reward  will  be  the  same, 
if  only  the  diligence  and  faithfulness  be  equal.  It  is 
quite  probable,  indeed,  that  the  number  of  servants 
thought  of  was  more  than  three,  perhaps  ten,*  to 
correspond  with  the  number  of  the  virgins,  and  that 
only  as  many  cases  are  taken  as  were  necessary  to 
bring  out  the  truth  to  be  taught. 

These  two  faithful  servants  lost  no  time  in  setting 
to  work.  This  appears  in  the  Revised  Version,  where 
the  word  "straightway"  is  restored  to  its  right  place, 
indicating  that  immediately  on  receiving  the  five  talents 
the  servant  began  diligently  to  use  them  (ver.  16,  R.V.). 
The  servant  with  the  two  talents  acted  "  in  like  manner  " 
(ver.  17).  The  result  was  that  each  doubled  his  capital, 
and  each  received  the  same  gracious  welcome  and  high 
promotion  when  their  lord  returned  (vv.  20-23).  They 
had  been  unequally  successful ;  but  inasmuch  as  this 

*  In  the  parable  of  the  pounds  the  number  of  servants  is  ten,  and 
there,  too,  only  three  are  selected  as  examples. 


362  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

was  not  due  to  any  difference  in  diligence,  but  only 
to  difference  in  ability,  they  were  equal  in  welcome 
and  reward.  It  is,  however,  worthy  of  remark  that 
while  the  language  is  precisely  the  same  in  the  one 
case  as  in  the  other,  it  is  not  such  as  to  determine 
that  their  position  would  be  precisely  equal  in  the  life 
to  come.  There  will  be  differences  of  ability  and  of 
range  of  service  there  as  well  as  here.  In  both  cases 
the  verdict  on  the  past  was  "faithful  over  a  few 
things,"  though  the  few  things  of  the  one  were  more 
than  double  the  few  things  of  the  other ;  and  in  the 
same  wray,  though  the  promise  for  the  future  was  for 
the  one  as  well  as  for  the  other,  "  I  will  set  thee  over 
many  things,"  it  might  well  be  that  the  many  things 
of  the  future  might  vary  as  the  few  things  of  the  past 
had  done.  But  all  will  be  alike  satisfied,  a  thought 
which  is  beautifully  put  by  Dante  in  the  third  canto  of 
his  "  Paradise,"  where  the  sainted  Piccarda,  in  answer  to 
the  question  whether  those  who,  like  her,  have  the  lower 
places  have  no  envy  of  those  above  them,  gives  an 
explanation  of  which  this  is  the  concluding  passage : 

"  So  that  as  we,  from  step  to  step, 
Are  placed  throughout  this  kingdom,  pleases  all, 
Even  as  our  King,  Who  in  us  plants  His  will ; 
And  in  His  will  is  our  tranquillity  ; 
It  is  the  mighty  ocean,  whither  tends 
Whatever  it  creates  and  nature  makes." 

Whereupon  Dante  himself  says : 

'•  Then  saw  I  clearly  how  each  spot  in  heaven 
Is  Paradise,  though  with  like  gracious  dew 
The  supreme  virtue  shower  not  over  all." 

Canto  III.  82-90  (Carey). 

It  is  not  suggested,  however,  in   the  parable  that 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  363 

there  is  not  the  same  gracious  dew  showering  over  all. 
"  The  joy  of  the  Lord  "  would  appear  to  be  the  same 
for  all ;  but  it  is  significant  that  the  leading  thought 
of  heavenly  reward  is  not  joy,  but  rather  promotion, 
promotion  in  service,  a  higher  sphere  and  a  wider 
range  of  work,  the  "  few  things  "  which  have  been  our 
glad  service  here  exchanged  for  "  many  things,"  of 
which  we  shall  be  masters  there — no  more  failures,  no 
more  bungling,  no  more  mortifications  as  we  look  back 
upon  work  half  done  or  ill  done  or  much  of  it  undone  : 
"  I  will  set  thee  over  manv  things  (R.V.)."  That  is  the 
great  reward  ;  the  other  follows  as  of  course  :  "  Enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

As  in  the  parable  of  the  Virgins,  so  here,  the  force 
increases  as  we  pass  from  encouragement  to  warning. 
The  closing  scene  is  solemn  and  fearful.  That  the 
man  with  one  talent  should  be  selected  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  unfaithfulness  is  very  significant — not  certainly 
in  the  way  of  suggesting  that  unfaithfulness  is  more 
likely  to  be  found  among  those  whose  abilities  are 
slender  and  opportunities  small ;  but  so  as  to  make  it 
plain  that,  though  all  due  allowance  is  made  for  this,  it 
can  in  no  case  be  accepted  as  an  excuse  for  want  of 
faithfulness.  It  is  just  as  imperative  on  the  man  with 
one  talent,  as  on  him  with  five,  to  do  what  he  can. 
Had  the  illustration  been  taken  from  one  with  higher 
endowments,  it  might  have  been  thought  that  the  great- 
ness of  the  loss  had  something  to  do  with  the  severity 
of  the  sentence;  but,  as  the  parable  is  constructed,  no 
such  thought  is  admissible  :  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  it 
is  no  question  of  gain  or  loss,  but  simply  of  faithfulness 
or  unfaithfulness  :  Hast  thou  done  what  thou  couldst? 

The  offence  here  is  not,  as  in  the  first  of  the  four 
pictures  of  judgment,  painted  in  dark   colours.     There 


364  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST   MATTHEW. 


was  no  beating  r  fellow-servants  or  drinking  with  the 
drunken,  no  con  t  like  that  of  the  unjust  steward  or 
the  unmerciful  cred:  •  who  took  his  fellow-servant  by 
the  throat — it  was  s  .pie  neglect:  "I  was  afraid,  and 
went  and  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth."  The  servant 
had  such  a  modest  estimate  of  his  own  abilities  that  he 
was  even  afraid  he  might  do  mischief  in  trying  to  use 
the  talent  he  had,  so  he  laid  it  away  and  let  it  alone. 
The  excuse  he  makes  (vv.  24,  25)  is  very  true  to 
nature.  It  is  not  modesty  after  all  that  is  at  the  root 
of  the  idleness  of  those  who  hide  their  talent  in  the 
earth ;  it  is  unbelief.  They  do  not  believe  in  God  as 
revealed  in  the  Son  of  His  love;  they  think  of  Him  as 
a  hard  Master;  they  shrink  from  having  anything  to 
do  with  religion,  rather  wonder  at  those  who  have 
the  assurance  to  think  of  their  serving  God,  or  doing 
anything  for  the  advancement  of  His  kingdom.  They 
know  not  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  there- 
fore it  is  that  they  hold  aloof  from  Him,  refusing  to 
confess  Him,  declining  to  employ  in  His  service  the 
talents  entrusted  to  their  care. 

At  this  point  there  is  an  instructive  contrast  between 
the  parable  of  the  Virgins  and  the  one  before  us. 
There  the  foolish  virgins  failed  because  they  took  their 
duties  too  easily;  here  the  servant  fails  because  he 
thinks  his  duties  too  hard.  Bearing  this  in  mind,  we 
recognise  the  appropriateness  of  the  Lord's  answer. 
He  might  have  found  fault  with  his  excuse,  showing 
him  how  easily  he  might  have  known  that  his  ideas  of 
his  Master  were  entirely  wrong,  and  how  if  he  had 
only  addressed  himself  to  the  work  to  which  he  was 
called,  his  difficulties  would  have  disappeared  and  He 
would  have  found  the  service  easily  within  his  powers ; 
but  the  Master  waives  all  this,  accepts  the  hard  verdict 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  365 

on  Himself,  admits  the  difficulties  in  *  e  way,  and  then 
points  out  that  even  at  the  worst,  ev  though  he  "  was 
afraid,"  even  though  he  had  no«  ^oUrage  enough,  like 
the  other  servants,  to  go  straigi  way  to  the  work  to 
which  he  was  first  called,  he  might  have  found  some 
other  and  less  trying  form  of  service,  something  that 
would  have  avoided  the  risks  he  had  not  courage  to 
face,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  have  secured  some 
return  for  his  Lord  (vv.  26,  27).  The  Master  is  ready 
to  make  all  allowance  for  the  weakness  of  His  servants, 
so  long  as  it  does  not  amount  to  absolute  unfaithful- 
ness ;  so  long  as  by  any  stretch  of  charity  it  is  possible 
to  call  the  servant  "  good  and  faithful."  In  this  case 
it  was  not  possible.  Not  faithful  but  slothful  was  the 
word;  therefore  good  it  cannot  be,  but — the  only 
other  alternative — wicked  :  "  thou  wicked  and  slothful 
servant." 

Then  follows  doom.  Instead  of  promotion,  degrada- 
tion :  "  take  the  talent  from  him."  And  in  this  there 
is  no  arbitrary  punishment,  no  penalty  needing  to  be 
inflicted — it  comes  as  the  result  of  a  great  law  of  the 
universe,  according  to  which  unused  powers  fall  into 
atrophy,  paralysis,  and  death ;  while  on  the  other  hand 
faithful  and  diligent  use  of  power  enlarges  it  more  and 
more :  "  Take  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it 
unto  him  which  hath  ten  talents.  For  unto  every  one 
that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abundance  : 
but  from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even 
that  which  he  hath."  As  the  necessary  and  natural 
sequel  to  promotion  in  service  was  the  joy  of  the  Lord, 
so  the  natural  and  necessary  sequel  of  degradation  is 
the  "  outer  darkness,"  where  "  there  shall  be  weeping 
and  gnashing  of  teeth." 


366  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

4.  The  Final  Separation  (xxv.  31-46). 

As  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  again  in  the 
last  discourse  in  the  Temple,  so  here,  the  language 
rises  into  a  strain  of  great  majesty  and  sublimity  as 
the  prophecy  draws  to  a  close.  No  one  can  fail  to 
recognise  it.  This  vision  of  judgment  is  the  climax 
of  the  teaching  of  the  Lord  Christ.  Alike  for  magni- 
ficence and  for  pathos  it  is  unsurpassed  in  literature. 
There  is  no  departure  from  His  wonted  simplicity  of 
style.  As  little  here  as  everywhere  else  do  we  recog- 
nise even  a  trace  of  effort  or  of  elaboration  ;  yet  as  we 
read  there  is  not  a  word  that  could  be  changed,  not 
a  clause  that  could  be  spared,  not  a  thought  that  could 
be  added  with  advantage.  It  bears  the  marks  of  per- 
fection, wheth  r  we  look  at  it  from  the  point  of  view 
of  the  Speaker's  divinity  or  from  the  point  of  view  of 
His  humanity.  Divine  in  its  sublimity,  it  is  most 
human  in  its  tenderness.  u  Truly  this  was  the  Son 
of  God."     Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  man. 

The  grandeur  of  the  passage  is  all  the  more  impres- 
sive by  contrast  with  what  immediately  follows  :  "  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  finished  all  these  say- 
ings, He  said  unto  His  disciples,  Ye  know  that  after 
two  days  is  the  feast  of  the  passover,  and  the  Son  of 
man  is  betrayed  to  be  crucified."  Into  such  an  abyss 
was  the  Son  of  man  looking  when  in  language  so  cairn, 
so  confident,  so  majestic,  so  sublime,  He  spoke  of  sitting 
on  the  throne  of  His  glory  as  the  Judge  of  all  mankind. 
Did  ever  man  speak  like  this  Man  ? 

It  is  significant  that  even  when  speaking  of  the 
coming  glory  He  still  retains  His  favourite  designation, 
*  the  Son  of  man."  In  this  we  see  one  of  the  many 
minute  coincidences  which  show  the  inner  harmony  of 


xxiv.,xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  367 

the  discourses  recorded  in  this  Gospel  with  those  of  a 
different  style  of  thought  preserved  by  St.  John  ;  for  it 
is  in  one  of  these  we  read  that  "  He  (the  Father)  hath 
given  Him  authority  to  execute  judgment,  because  He 
is  the  Son  of  man."  Thus  the  judgment  of  humanity 
proceeds  out  of  humanity  itself,  and  constitutes  as  it 
were  the  final  offering  up  of  man  to  God.  This  on  the 
God-ward  side;  and,  on  the  other  side,  there  is  for 
those  who  stand  before  the  Judge,  the  certainty  that 
as  Son  of  man  He  knows  by  experience  all  the 
weaknesses  of  those  He  judges  and  the  force  of  the 
temptations  by  which  they  have  been  beset. 

Nothing  could  be  more  impressive  than  the  picture 
set  before  us  of  the  throne  of  glory,  on  which  is  seated 
the  Son  of  man  with  all  the  angels  around  Him  and 
all  nations  gathered  before  Him.  It  is  undoubtedly 
the  great  assize,  the  general  judgment  of  mankind. 
No  partial  judgment  can  it  be,  nothing  less  than  the 
great  event  referred  to  in  that  passage  already  quoted 
from  St.  John's  Gospel,  where  after  speaking  of  judg- 
ment being  committed  to  the  Son  of  man,  it  is  added : 
"  Marvel  not  at  this  :  for  the  hour  cometh,  in  which 
all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  His  voice,  and 
shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  life  ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto 
the  resurrection  of  damnation."  This  view  of  the 
passage  is  supported  not  only  by  the  universality 
implied  throughout  and  expressed  in  the  term  "  all  the 
nations  *  "  ;  but  by  every  reference  to  the  same  subject 


*  It  is  not  forgotten  that  the  word  translated  "nations  "  is  commonly 
applied  to  the  Gentiles  as  distinguished  from  the  Jews ;  but  clearly 
there  is  no  such  limitation  here.  No  commentator,  at  least  of  any 
note,  suggests  that  the  Jews  as  a  nation  are  not  among  the  nations 
gathered  around  the  throne. 


368  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

throughout  this  Gospel,  notably  the  parables  of  the 
Tares  and  the  Net  (see  Matt.  xiii.  39-43,  47-50),  the 
general  declaration  at  Caesarea  Philippi,  "  The  Son  of 
man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  His  Father,  with  His 
angels ;  and  then  shall  He  reward  every  man  according 
to  his  works "  (Matt.  xvi.  27) ;  and  especially  the 
earlier  reference  to  the  same  event  in  this  discourse, 
in  that  portion  of  it  which  we  have  spoken  of  as  the 
prophecy  proper,  where  the  mourning  of  all  the  tribes 
of  earth,  and  the  gathering  together  of  the  elect  from 
the  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other,  are  connected  with 
one  another  and  with  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man 
(Matt.  xxiv.  30,  31). 

It  seems  quite  certain,  then,  that  whatever  subsequent 
unfoldings  there  may  be  in  the  later  books  of  the  New 
Testament  as  to  the  order  in  which  judgment  shall 
proceed,  there  is  no  intention  here  of  anticipating  them. 
It  is  true  that  the  preceding  parables  have  each  given 
a  partial  view  of  the  judgment, — the  first  as  affecting 
those  in  office  in  the  Church,  the  second  and  third  as 
applied  to  the  members  of  the  Church ;  but  just  as 
those  specially  contemplated  in  the  first  parable  are 
included  in  the  wider  scope  of  the  second  and  third, 
so  these  contemplated  in  the  second  and  third  are 
included  in  the  universal  scope  of  the  great  judgment 
scene  with  which  the  whole  discourse  is  fitly  and 
grandly  concluded. 

In  this  great  picture  of  the  final  judgment  the  pro- 
minent thought  is  separation :  ft  He  shall  separate  them 
one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep 
from  the  goats  :  and  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  His 
right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left."  How  easily 
and  with  what  unerring  certainty  the  separation  is 
made — as  easily  and  as  surely  as  the  shepherd  divideth 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT,  369 

the  sheep  from  the  goats  !  Nothing  eludes  the  glance 
of  that  all-searching  Eye.  No  need  of  pleading  or 
counter -pleading,  of  prosecutor  or  prisoner's  counsel, 
no  hope  from  legal  quibble  or  insufficient  proof.  All, 
all  is  "  naked  and  opened  unto  the  eyes  of  Him  with 
Whom  we  have  to  do."  He  sees  all  at  a  glance  ;  and 
as  He  sees,  He  divides  by  a  single  dividing  line. 
There  is  no  middle  position  :  each  one  is  either  on  the 
right  or  on  the  left. 

The  dividing  line  is  one  entirely  new.  All  nations 
are  there ;  but  not  as  nations  are  they  divided  now. 
This  is  strikingly  suggested  in  the  original  by  the 
change  from  the  neuter  (nations,  eQvrj)  to  the  masculine 
(them,  clvtovs),  indicating  as  by  a  sudden  flash  of 
unexpected  light  that  not  as  nations,  but  as  individuals, 
must  all  be  judged.  The  line  is  one  which  crosses  all 
other  lines  that  have  divided  men  from  one  another, 
so  that  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  men  there  will 
be  some  on  the  right  and  some  on  the  left.  Even  the 
family  line  will  be  crossed,  so  that  husband  and  wife, 
parents  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  may  be 
found  on  opposite  sides  of  it.  What,  then,  is  this  new 
and  final  line  of  separation  ?  The  sentence  of  the 
King  will  mark  it  out  for  us. 

It  is  the  first  and  only  time  that  Jesus  calls  Himself 
the  King.  He  has  displayed  His  royalty  in  His  acts ; 
He  has  suggested  it  in  His  discourses  and  His 
parables ;  He  has  claimed  it  by  the  manner  of  His 
entry  into  His  capital  and  His  temple ;  He  will  after- 
wards assent  when  Pilate  shall  ask  Him  the  plain 
question ;  but  this  is  the  only  place  where  He  uses 
the  title  in  speaking  of  Himself.  How  significant  and 
impressive  is  this  I  It  is  as  if  He  would  once  for  all 
before  He  suffered  disclose  the  fulness  of  His  majesty. 

24 


37o  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.    MATTHEW. 

His  royalty,  indeed,  was  suggested  at  the  very  begin- 
ning by  the  reference  to  the  throne  of  His  glory; 
but  inasmuch  as  judgment  was  the  work  which  lay 
immediately  before  Him,  He  still  spoke  of  Himself 
as  the  Son  of  man;  but  now  that  the  separation  is 
made,  now  that  the  books  have  been  opened  and 
closed,  He  rises  above  the  Judge  and  styles  Himself 
the  King. 

We  must  think  of  Him  now  as  all  radiant  with  His 
royal  glory — that  visage  which  was  "  so  marred  more 
than  any  man  "  now  shining  with  celestial  light — that 
Form  which  was  distorted  "more  than  the  sons  of 
men,"  now  seen  to  be  the  very  "  form  of  God,"  "  the 
chiefest  among  ten  thousand"  of  the  highest  angels 
round  Him,  "altogether  lovely,"  the  personal  embodi- 
ment of  that  glorious  kingdom  He  has  been  preparing 
through  all  the  centuries  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world — disclosed  at  last  as  the  answer  to  every 
longing  soul,  the  satisfaction  of  every  pure  desire, — 
the  King. 

All  this  we  must  realise  before  we  can  imagine  the 
awful  gulf  which  lies  between  these  simple  words, 
"  Depart "  and  "  Come."  That  sweet  word  "  Come  "— 
how  He  has  repeated  and  repeated  it  through  all  these 
ages,  in  every  possible  way,  with  endless  variations! 
Spoken  so  tenderly  with  His  own  human  lips,  it  has 
been  taken  up  and  given  forth  by  those  whom  He  has 
sent  in  His  name:  the  Spirit  has  said  "Come";  the 
Bride  has  said  "Come";  the  hearers  have  said 
"  Come  "  ;  whosoever  would,  has  been  invited  to  come. 
The  music  of  the  word  has  never  died  away.  But  now 
its  course  is  nearly  run.  Once  more  it  will  ring  out ; 
but  with  a  difference.  No  longer  now  to  all.  The  line 
of  separation  has  been  drawn,  and  across  "the  great 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  371 

gulf  fixed  "  the  old  sweet  word  of  grace  can  reach  no 
longer.  It  is  to  those  on  the  right,  and  these  alone, 
that  now  the  King  says  "Come."  To  those  on  the  left 
there  remains  the  word,  a  stranger  to  His  lips  before, 
the  awful  word,  "  Depart  from  Me." 

In  the  contrast  between  these  two  words,  there 
already  is  involved  all  that  follows :  all  the  joy  of  the 
welcome — "Come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world  "  ;  all  the  horror  of  the  doom — "  Depart  from  Me, 
ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels." 

Still  the  great  question  remains  unanswered,  What 
is  the  dividing  line?  Inasmuch  as  this  belongs  to  the 
hidden  man  of  the  heart,  to  the  secrecy  of  conscious- 
ness and  conscience,  the  only  way  in  which  it  could  be 
made  to  appear  in  a  picture  parable  of  judgment  such 
as  this,  is  by  the  introduction  of  such  a  conversation 
as  that  which  follows  the  sentence  in  each  case.  The 
general  distinction  between  the  two  classes  had  been 
suggested  by  the  simile  of  the  sheep  and  the  goats — 
the  one  white,  the  other  black,  the  one  obedient,  the 
other  unruly ;  but  it  is  made  much  more  definite  by 
this  dramatic  conversation.  We  call  it  dramatic, 
because  we  regard  it  as  extreme  bondage  to  the  letter 
to  suppose  this  to  be  a  prediction  of  the  words  that 
will  actually  be  used,  and  therefore  look  upon  it  simply 
as  intended  to  represent,  as  nothing  else  could,  the 
new  light  which  both  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
will  then  see  suddenly  flashed  upon  their  life  on  earth, 
a  light  so  full  and  clear  and  self-interpreting  that  there 
cannot  but  be  unquestioning  acquiescence  in  the  justice 
of  the  final  award. 

There    are  those  who,  looking  at  this  conversation 


372  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

in  the  most  superficial  way,  find  in  it  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  by  works,  and  imagine  that  they  are 
warranted  on  the  strength  of  this  passage  to  set  aside 
all  that  is  written  in  other  parts  of  Scripture  as  to  the 
necessity  of  change  of  heart,  to  dismiss  from  their 
minds  all  concern  about  creed  or  worship,  about 
doctrine  or  sacraments  or  church  membership.  Be 
kind  to  the  poor — that  will  do  instead  of  everything 
else. 

In  answer  to  such  a  perversion  of  our  Lord's 
t  anguage  it  should  surely  be  enough  to  call  attention  to 
the  fact  that  all  is  made  to  turn  upon  the  treatment  of 
Christ  by  the  one  class  and  by  the  other.  Kindness  to 
the  poor  comes  in,  not  as  in  itself  the  ground  of  the 
division,  but  as  furnishing  the  evidence  or  manifesta- 
:ion  of  that  devotion  to  God  as  revealed  in  Christ, 
.vhich  forms  the  real  ground  of  acceptance,  and  the 
want  of  which  is  the  sole  ground  of  condemnation. 
True  it  is  that  Christ  identifies  Himself  with  His 
people,  and  accepts  the  kindness  done  to  the  poorest 
of  them  as  done  to  Himself;  but  there  is  obviously 
implied,  what  is  elsewhere  in  a  similar  connection 
clearly  expressed,  that  the  kindness  must  be  done  "  in 
the  name  of  a  disciple."  In  other  words,  love  to  Christ 
must  be  the  motive  of  the  deed  of  charity,  else  it  is 
worthless  as  a  test  of  true  discipleship.  The  more 
carefully  the  whole  passage  is  read,  the  more  manifest 
will  it  be  that  the  great  question  which  determines  the 
separation  is  this  :  "  How  have  you  treated  Christ  ? " 
It  is  only  to  bring  out  more  clearly  the  real  answer  to 
this  question  that  the  other  is  added :  How  have  you 
treated  Christ's  poor?  For  according  to  each  man's 
treatment  of  these  will  have  been  his  treatment  of 
Christ  Himself.     It  is  the  same  principle  applied  to  the 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROFHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  373 

unseen  Christ  as  the  apostle  applies  to  the  invisible 
God :  "  He  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath 
seen,  how  can  he  love  God  Whom  he  hath  not 
seen  ?  " 

While  there  is  no  encouragement  here  for  those  who 
hope  to  make  up  for  the  rejection  of  Christ  by  deeds  of 
kindness  to  poor  people,  there  is  abundant  room  left 
for  the  acceptance  at  the  last  of  those  who  had  no 
means  of  knowing  Christ,  but  who  showed  by  their 
treatment  of  their  fellow-men  in  distress  that  the  spirit 
of  Christ  was  in  them.  To  such  the  King  will  be  no 
stranger  when  they  shall  see  Him  on  the  throne ;  nor 
will  they  be  strangers  to  Him.  He  will  recognise 
them  as  His  own ;  and  they  will  recognise  Him  as  the 
very  King  of  Love  for  Whom  their  souls  were  longing, 
but  Who  not  till  now  has  been  revealed  to  their 
delighted  gaze.  To  all  such  will  the  gracious  words 
be  spoken  "Come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father";  but 
they  too,  as  well  as  all  the  rest,  will  be  received  not  on 
the  ground  of  works  as  distinguished  from  faith,  but 
on  the  ground  of  a  real  though  implicit  faith  which 
worked  by  love  and  which  was  only  waiting  for  the 
revelation  of  their  King  and  Lord  to  make  it  explicit, 
to  bring  it  out  to  light. 

Philanthropy  can  never  take  the  place  of  faith ;  and 
yet  no  words  ever  spoken  or  written  on  this  earth  have 
done  so  much  for  philanthropy  as  these.  It  were  vain 
to  attempt,  in  so  brief  a  sketch,  to  bring  out  even  in 
the  way  of  suggestion  the  mingled  majesty  and  pathos 
of  the  words  of  the  King  to  the  righteous,  culminating 
in  that  great  utterance  which  touches  the  very  deepest 
springs  of  feeling  and  thrills  every  fibre  of  the  pure 
and  loving  heart:  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these  My  brethren,   ye  have  done 


374  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST    MATTHEW. 

it  unto  Me."  Besides  the  pathos  of  the  words,  what 
depth  of  suggestion  is  there  in  the  thought,  as  shedding 
light  upon  His  claim  to  be  the  Son  of  man !  As 
Son  of  God  He  is  the  King,  seated  on  the  throne  of 
His  glory ;  as  Son  of  man  He  is  identified  with  all  His 
brethren,  even  with  the  least  of  them,  and  with  each  one 
of  them  all  over  all  the  world  and  through  all  the  ages : 
"Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these  My  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me."  How 
the  divinity  shines,  how  the  humanity  thrills,  through 
these  great  words  of  the  King ! 

The  scroll  of  this  grand  prophecy  is  finished  with 
the  awful  words  :  "  These  shall  go  away  into  eternal 
punishment;  but  the  righteous  into  eternal  life"  (R.V.). 
Eternal  punishment,  eternal  life — such  are  the  issues 
which  hang  upon  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  to 
judgment;  such  are  the  issues  which  hang  upon  the 
treatment  of  the  Son  of  man  in  these  years  of  our 
mortal  life  that  are  passing  over  us  now.  There  are 
those  who  flatter  themselves  with  the  idea  that,  because 
the  question  has  been  raised  by  honest  and  candid 
interpreters  of  Scripture  whether  absolute  endlessness  is 
necessarily  involved  in  the  word  eternal,  therefore  these 
words  of  doom  are  shorn  of  much  of  their  terror ;  but 
surely  this  is  a  pitiful  delusion.  There  is  no  possible 
way  of  reducing  the  force  of  the  word  "  eternal  "  which 
will  bring  the  awfulness  of  the  doom  within  the  bounds 
of  any  finite  imagination ;  and  whatever  may  be  said  as 
to  what  the  word  necessarily  implies,  whatever  vague 
surmise  there  may  be  that  absolute  endlessness  is  not 
in  it,  this  much  is  perfectly  certain  :  that  there  is  not  the 
slightest  suggestion  of  hope  in  the  words ;  no  straining 
of  the  eyes  can  discern  even  the  straitest  gate  out  of 
that  eternal  punishment  into  eternal  life.     Between  the 


xxiv.,  xxv.]     THE  PROPHECY  ON  THE  MOUNT.  375 

one  and  the  other  there  is  "  a  great  gulf  fixed."  It 
is  the  final  judgment ;  it  is  the  final  separation ;  and 
scarcely  with  more  distinctness  could  the  awful  letters 
have  been  traced,  "Leave  every  hope  behind,  all  ye 
who  enter  here."  "  These  shall  go  away  into  eternal 
punishment;  but  the  righteous" — none  but  the  right- 
eous—  "into  eternal  life.'' 


XIX. 

TEE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY. 
Matt.  xxvi.  I — xxvii.  56. 

WE  enter  now  on  the  story  of  the  last  day  of  the 
mortal  life  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour.  We  have 
already  noticed  the  large  proportionate  space  given  to 
the  Passion  Week ;  but  still  more  remarkable  is  the 
concentration  of  interest  on  the  Passion  Day.  The 
record  of  that  single  day  is  very  nearly  one-ninth  of 
the  whole  book  ;  and  a  similar  proportion  is  observed 
by  all  the  four  Evangelists.  This  proportion  of  space 
is  very  striking  even  when  we  bear  in  mind  that  pro- 
perly speaking  the  Gospels  are  not  the  record  of  thirty- 
three  or  thirty-four  years,  but  only  of  three  or  four. 
Of  the  story  of  the  years  of  the  public  ministry  one- 
seventh  part  is  given  to  the  last  day ;  and  this,  too, 
without  the  introduction  of  any  lengthened  discourse. 
If  the  discourse  in  the  upper  room  and  the  intercessory 
prayer  as  recorded  by  St.  John  were  added,  it  wTould 
be,  not  one-seventh,  but  almost  one-fourth  of  the 
whole.  Truly  this  must  be  the  Day  of  days  !  Unspeak- 
ably sacred  and  precious  as  is  the  entire  life  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour,  sacred  above  all  and  precious  above 
all  is  His  death  of  shame  and  agony.  The  same  pre- 
eminence was  evidently  given  to  the  dying  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  the  special  revelation  granted  to  St.  Paul,  as  is 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        377 


evident  from  the  fact  that,  in  setting  forth  the  gospel 
he  had  been  commissioned  to  preach,  he  spoke  of  it  as 
the  gospel  of  "  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,"  and  put 
in  the  foreground,  not  the  incarnate  life,  great  as  he 
recognised  it  to  be  ( 1  Tim.  iii.  16),  but  the  atoning  death 
of  Christ:  "  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that  which 
I  also  received,  how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptures."  Here,  then,  we  have  the  very 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.  Here  we  enter  the  inner 
shrine  of  the  Word,  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  the  new 
covenant.  Let  us  draw  near  with  holy  reverence  and 
deep  humility,  yet  with  the  eye  of  faith  directed  ever 
upwards  in  reliance  on  the  grace  of  Him  Who  searcheth 
all  things,  even  the  deep  things  of  God,  and  Whose 
work  and  joy  it  is  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ,  even 
those  that  are  among  the  deepest  things  of  God,  and 
show  them  unto  us. 

"After  Two  Days"  (xxvi.  1-19). 

This  passage  does  not  strictly  belong  to  the  history 
of  the  one  great  day,  but  it  is  the  approach  to  it.  It 
opens  with  the  solemn  announcement  "  After  two  days 
is  the  feast  of  the  Passover,  and  the  Son  of  man  is 
betrayed  to  be  crucified  " ;  and  without  any  record  of 
the  Saviour's  doings  in  the  interval,*  it  closes  with  the 
preparation  for  the  keeping  of  the  feast  with  His 
disciples,  the  directions  for  which  are  introduced  by  the 
pathetic  words,  "  My  time  is  at  hand." 

The  incident  at  Bethany  (vv.  6-13)  seems  to  be 
introduced  here  in  connection  with  the  development  of 
treason  in  the  soul  of  Judas.     This  connection  would 


*  The  feast  in  Bethany  did  not  take  place  during  this  interval,  but 
Borne  days  before  (see  John  xii.  1)  ;  in  all  probability  the  very  day 
Lefore  Christ's  entry  into  Jerusalem. 


378  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

not  be  so  apparent  were  it  not  for  the  information 
given  in  St.  John's  account  of  the  feast,  that  it  was 
Judas  especially  who  objected  to  what  he  called  "  this 
waste"  of  the  ointment,  and  that  the  reason  why  he 
was  displeased  at  it  was  because  "  he  had  the  bag,  and 
bare  what  was  put  therein."  With  this  in  mind  we  can 
see  how  natural  it  was  that,  having  had  no  occasion 
before  to  tell  the  story  of  the  feast  at  Bethany,  the 
Evangelist  should  be  disposed  to  tell  it  now,  as  connected 
in  his  mind  with  the  traitor's  selling  of  his  Lord  for 
thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

The  two  days  of  interval  would  extend  from  the 
evening  following  the  abandonment  of  the  Temple  to 
the  evening  of  the  Passover  feast.  It  is  important 
always,  and  especially  in  studying  the  days  of  the 
Passion  week,  to  bear  in  mind  that,  according  to  the 
Jewish  mode  of  reckoning,  each  new  day  began,  not 
with  the  morning  as  with  us,  but  with  the  evening. 
In  this  they  followed  a  very  ancient  precedent :  "  The 
evening  and  the  morning  were  the  first  day."  The 
two  days,  then,  would  be  from  Tuesday  evening  till 
Thursday  evening;  so  that  with  Thursday  evening 
began  the  last  day  of  our  Lord's  Passion.  There  is 
no  record  at  all  of  how  He  spent  the  Wednesday ;  in 
all  probability  it  was  in  seclusion  at  Bethany.  Nor 
have  we  any  account  of  the  doings  of  the  Thursday 
save  the  directions  given  to  prepare  the  Passover,  the 
keeping  of  which  was  to  be  the  first  act  of  the  last 
day. 

We  may  think  of  these  two  days,  then,  as  days  oi 
rest  for  our  Lord,  of  holy  calm  and  quietude — a  sacred 
lull  before  the  awful  storm.  What  were  His  thoughts  ? 
what  His  feelings  ?  What  passages  of  Scripture  were 
His  solace  ?     Would    not  the  ninety-fourth  psalm  be 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.         379 

one  of  them?  If  so,  how  fondly  would  He  dwell  upon 
that  sentence  of  it,  "  In  the  multitude  of  my  thoughts 
within  me  Thy  comforts  delight  my  soul."  If  we  only 
had  a  record  of  His  prayers,  how  rich  it  would  be  1 
If  we  had  the  spiritual  history  of  these  two  days  it 
would  no  doubt  be  full  of  pleading  as  rich  and  precious 
as  the  prayer  of  intercession  His  disciples  heard  and 
one  of  them  recorded  for  our  sakes,  and  of  yearning 
as  tender  and  touching  as  His  wail  over  Jerusalem. 
But  the  Spirit,  Who  takes  of  the  things  of  Christ  and 
shows  them  unto  us,  does  not  invade  the  privacy  of 
the  Saviour's  hours  of  retirement.  No  diary  is  pub- 
lished ;  and  beyond  doubt  it  is  better  so.  It  may 
be  that  in  the  lives  of  the  saints  there  has  been  too 
much  of  this — not  too  much  of  spiritual  communing, 
but  too  much  unveiling  of  it.  It  may  be  that  there  is  a 
danger  of  leading  us  to  seek  after  such  "  exercises  "  as 
an  end  in  themselves,  instead  of  as  mere  means  to  the 
end  of  holy  and  unselfish  living.  What  the  world 
should  see  is  the  life  that  is  the  outcome  of  those 
secret  communings  with  God — it  should  see  the  life 
which  was  with  the  Father  manifested  in  glowing 
word  and  self-forgetting  deed.  Why  have  we  no  need 
to  see  into  that  holy,  loving  heart  during  these  two 
sacred  days  in  Bethany  ?  Because  it  is  sufficiently 
revealed  in  the  story  of  the  day  that  followed  it.  Ah  ! 
the  words,  the  deeds  of  that  day — what  revealings  of 
heart,  what  manifestations  of  the  life  within  are  there  ! 
The  very  silence  of  these  two  days  is  strikingly 
suggestive  of  repose.  We  are  presently  to  hear  of  the 
awful  agony  in  the  Garden ;  but  from  the  very  way  in 
which  we  shall  hear  of  it  we  shall  be  strengthened  in 
the  impression,  which  no  doubt  is  the  true  one,  that 
the  two  days  of  interval  were  not  days  of  agony,  but 


380  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

days  of  soul  rest ;  and  in  this  we  recognise  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  restlessness  of  those  who  spent  the 
time  in  plotting  His  destruction.  Contrast,  for  example, 
the  calm  of  our  Lord's  announcement  in  the  second 
verse,  with  the  uneasy  plotting  in  the  palace  of  the 
high  priest.  Without  agitation  He  faces  the  horror 
of  great  darkness  before  Him ;  without  flinching  He 
anticipates  the  very  darkest  of  it  all :  "  betrayed  " — 
"  crucified " ;  without  a  tremor  on  His  lips  He  even 
specifies  the  time:  " after  two  days."  Now  look  at 
that  company  in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  as  with 
dark  brows  and  troubled  looks  they  consult  how  they 
may  take  Jesus  by  subtlety.  Observe  how  in  fear  they 
put  it  off, — as  not  safe  yet,  not  for  nine  days  at  least, 
till  the  crowds  at  the  feast,  so  many  of  whom  had 
so  recently  been  shouting  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David  I "  shall  have  gone  home.  "  Not  for  nine  days," 
so  they  resolve.     "  After  two  days,"  so  He  has  said. 

"Oh,  but  the  counsel  of  the  Lord 
Doth  stand,  for  ever  sure." 

Christ  knew  far  more  about  it  than  if  there  had  been 
a  spy  in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  reporting  to 
Him.  He  was  in  communication  with  One  Who  doeth 
according  to  His  will  in  the  armies  of  heaven  and 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  Caiaphas  and  his 
fellow-conspirators  may  plot  what  they  please,  it  shall 
be  done  according  to  the  counsel  of  the  Lord ;  it  shall 
be  so  done  that  an  apostle  shall  be  able  afterwards 
with  confidence  to  say  :  "  Him,  being  delivered  by  the 
determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God,  ye  have 
taken." 

The  means  by  which  their  counsels  were  overruled 
was  the  treason  of  Judas,  into  whose  dark  heart  the 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GEE  A  7  ATONEMENT  DAY,         381 

Bethany  incident  will  afford  us  a  glimpse.  Its  interest 
turns  upon  the  different  values  attached  to  a  deed  of 
love,  by  Judas*  on  the  one  hand,  and  by  Jesus  on  the 
other. 

To  Judas  it  meant  waste.  And  such  a  waste  ! — three 
hundred  pence  thrown  away  on  the  foolish  luxury  of 
a  moment!  "This  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for 
much,  and  given  to  the  poor."  Be  it  remembered  that 
there  was  a  good  deal  to  be  said  for  this  argument. 
It  is  very  easy  for  us,  who  have  the  limelight  of  our 
Lord's  words  on  the  whole  scene,  to  see  how  paltry 
the  objection  was ;  but  even  yet,  with  this  story  now 
published,  as  our  Lord  said  it  would  be,  all  over 
Christendom,  how  many  arguments  are  heard  of  the 
very  same  description  1  It  is  not  so  much  to  be 
wondered  at  that  the  objection  of  Judas  found  a  good 
deal  of  favour  with  some  of  the  disciples.  They  could 
not  see  the  blackness  of  the  heart  out  of  which  the 
suggestion  came,  nor  could  they  see  the  beauty  of 
the  love  which  shed  from  Mary's  heart  a  perfume 
far  more  precious  than  the  odour  of  the  ointment. 
Probably  even  Mary  was  startled ;  and,  if  her  Lord 
had  not  at  once  taken  her  part,  might  not  have  had 
a  word  to  say  for  herself. 

*  That  the  name  of  Judas  is  not  specially  mentioned  is  probably 
to  be  accounted  for  by  the  consciousness  on  the  part  of  St  Matthew 
that  Judas  was  not  alone  in  the  feeling  he  expressed,  that  he  and 
others  of  the  disciples  present  sympathised  with  him  in  what  he 
said,  so  that  in  fairness  he  must  lay  the  blame  of  the  objection  not 
alone  on  the  man  who  expressly  made  it,  but  on  the  disciples 
generally  (in  St.  Mark's  Gospel  it  is  "  some  had  indignation").  We 
may  well  suppose  that  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  would  be  the 
least  likely  of  all  to  sympathise  with  the  objection,  and  in  this  we 
may  see  the  reason  why  he  should  feel  no  scruple  in  singling  out  the 
traiior  as  the  man  who  was  audacious  enough  to  express  the  feeling 
of  dissatisfaction. 


382  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

"But  Jesus,  perceiving*  it,  said  unto  them,  Why 
trouble  ye  the  woman  ?  for  she  hath  wrought  a  good 
work  on  Me."  He  understood  her — understood  her 
perfectly,  read  at  once  the  whole  secret  of  her  loving 
heart,  explained  her  conduct  better  even  than  she 
understood  it  herself,  as  we  shall  presently  see.  He 
deals  very  tenderly  with  the  disciples ;  for  He  under- 
stood them  too,  saw  at  once  that  there  was  no  treason 
in  their  hearts,  that  though  they  took  up  the  suggestion 
of  the  traitor  it  was  in  no  sympathy  with  his  spirit,  but 
simply  because  of  their  want  of  insight  and  appreciation. 
He,  however,  does  rebuke  them — gently  ;  and  then  He 
quietly  opens  their  eyes  to  the  surpassing  beauty  of 
the  deed  they  had  ventured  to  condemn.  "  She  hath 
wrought  a  good  work  upon  Me."  The  word  translated 
"good"  has  prominent  in  it  the  thought  of  beauty.  And 
since  our  Lord  has  set  that  deed  of  Mary  in  its  true 
light,  there  is  no  one  with  any  sense  of  beauty  who 
fails  to  see  how  beautiful  it  is.  The  very  impulsiveness 
of  the  act,  the  absence  of  all  calculation,  the  simplicity 
and  naturalness  of  it,  the  womanliness  of  it — all  these 
add  to  its  beauty  as  an  outburst  of  love.  We  can  well 
imagine  that  these  words  of  Jesus  may  have  furnished 
much  of  the  inspiration  which  thrilled  the  soul  of  the 
apostle  as  he  wrote  to  the  Corinthians  his  noble  eulogy 
of  love.     Certainly  its  pricelessness  could  not  have  been 

*  So  R.V.  The  Authorised  Version  is  peculiarly  unhappy  at  this 
point.  "When  Jesus  understood  it"  seems  to  suggest  that  it  took 
Him  some  time  to  make  out  what  they  were  grumbling  about.  It  is 
altogether  likely  that  the  murmuring  was  among  themselves,  and  the 
speech  of  Judas  was  probably  spoken  not  loud  enough  for  Jesus  to 
hear,  but  in  a  low  tone  to  the  knot  of  sympathisers  around  Him.  But 
there  is  no  hint  in  the  original  of  any  time  elapsing  before  Jesus 
understood  the  situati^m.  As  always,  He  "knew  their  thoughts"  at 
once. 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.         383 

more  notably  or  memorably  taught.  Three  hundred 
pence  to  be  weighed  against  a  true  woman's  love  !  "  If 
a  man  would  give  all  the  substance  of  his  house  for 
love,  it  would  utterly  be  contemned." 

We  are  led  into  still  more  sacred  ground  as  we 
observe  how  highly  the  Saviour  values  Mary's  affection 
for  Himself.  "She  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon 
Me  " — "  Me  ye  have  not  always  " — "  she  did  it  for  My 
burial."  Who  can  reach  the  pathos  of  these  sacred 
words?  There  is  no  doubt  that  amid  the  hate  by 
which  Jesus  was  surrounded,  with  His  knowledge  of 
the  treason  in  the  dark  soul  of  Judas,  and  His  keen 
sense  of  the  want  of  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  other 
disciples,  His  human  heart  was  yearning  for  love,  for 
sympathetic  love.  Oh,  how  He  loved !  and  how  tha: 
ove  of  His  was  going  out  to  all  around  Him  through- 
out the  Passion  week — without  return  !  We  may  well 
believe,  then,  that  this  outburst  of  love  from  the  heart  of 
Mary  must  have  greatly  cheered  Him. 

"  She  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  Me?  With 
the  ointment  on  His  head,  there  had  come  a  far 
sweeter  balm  to  His  wounded  heart ;  for  He  saw 
that  she  was  not  wanting  in  sympathy — that  she  had 
some  idea,  however  vague  it  might  be,  of  the  pathos 
of  the  time.  She  felt,  if  she  did  not  quite  see,  the 
shadow  of  the  grave.  And  this  presentiment  (shall 
we  call  it  ?)  net  as  the  result  of  any  special  thought 
about  it,  but  in  some  dim  way,  had  prompted  her  to 
choose  this  touching  manner  of  showing  her  love : 
"  In  that  she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on  My  body, 
she  did  it  for  My  burial."  Verily,  a  true  human  heart 
beats  here,  welcoming,  oh  !  so  gladly,  this  woman's 
loving  sympathy. 

But  the  Divine  Spirit  is  here  too,  looking  far  beyond 


384  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

the  needs  of  the  moment  or  the  burdens  of  the  day.  No 
one  could  more  tenderly  consider  the  poor ;  nothing 
was  nearer  to  His  heart  than  their  necessities, — witness 
that  wonderful  parable  of  judgment  with  which  He 
finished  His  public  ministry;  but  He  knew  well  that 
in  that  personal  devotion  which  was  shown  in  Mary's 
loving  act  was  to  be  found  the  mainspring  of  all 
benevolence,  and  not  only  so  but  of  all  that  was  good 
and  gracious;  therefore  to  discourage  such  personal 
affection  would  be  to  seal  up  the  fount  of  generosity 
and  goodness ;  and  accordingly  He  not  only  commends 
it,  but  He  lifts  it  up  to  its  proper  dignity,  He  gives  a 
commendation  beyond  all  other  words  of  praise  He 
ever  spoke;  looking  away  down  the  ages,  and  out  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  recognising  that  this  love 
to  Himself,  this  personal  devotion  to  a  dying  Saviour, 
was  to  be  the  very  central  force  of  the  gospel,  and 
thus  the  hope  of  the  world,  He  adds  these  memorable 
words :  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Wheresoever  this 
gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  there 
shall  also  this,  that  this  woman  hath  done,  be  told  for 
a  memorial  of  her." 

From  "  this  that  this  woman  hath  done w  the  record 
passes  at  once  to  that  which  was  done  by  the  man 
who  had  dared  to  find  fault  with  it.  It  also  is  told 
wherever  the  gospel  is  preached  as  a  memorial  of  him. 
Behold,  then,  the  two  memorials  side  by  side.  Has 
not  the  Evangelist  shown  himself  the  true  historian 
in  bringing  them  together  ?  The  contrast  intensifies 
the  light  that  shines  from  the  love  of  Mary,  and 
deepens  the  darkness  of  the  traitor's  sin.  Besides, 
the  story  of  the  three  hundred  pence  is  a  most  fitting 
p  elude  to  that  of  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver.     At  the 


xxvi.  1-xxviL  56.]    THE    GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.         385 

same  time,  by  suggesting  the  steps  which  led  down 
to  such  an  abyss  of  iniquity,  it  saves  us  from  the  error 
of  supposing  that  the  sin  of  Judas  was  so  peculiar 
that  no  one  now  need  be  afraid  of  falling  into  it ;  for 
we  are  reminded  in  this  way  that  it  was  at  bottom 
the  very  sin  which  is  the  commonest  of  all,  the  very 
sin  into  which  Christians  of  the  present  day  are  in 
greatest  danger  of  falling. 

What  was  it  that  made  so  great  a  gulf  between 
Judas  and  all  the  rest  ?  Not  natural  depravity ;  in 
this  respect  they  were  no  doubt  much  alike.  When 
the  Twelve  were  chosen  there  was  in  all  probability  as 
good  material,  so  to  speak,  in  the  man  of  Kerioth  as 
in  any  of  the  men  of  Galilee.  What,  then,  made  the 
difference?  Simply  this,  that  his  heart  was  never 
truly  given  to  his  Lord.  He  tried  throughout  to  serve 
God  and  mammon ;  and  if  he  had  been  able  to  com- 
bine the  two  services,  if  there  had  been  any  fair 
prospect  of  these  thrones  on  which  the  Twelve  were 
to  sit,  and  the  honours  and  emoluments  of  the  kingdom 
with  which  his  fancy  had  been  dazzled,  treason  would 
never  have  entered  his  mind  ;  but  when  not  a  throne 
but  a  cross  began  to  loom  before  him,  he  found,  as 
every  one  finds  some  time,  that  he  must  make  his 
choice,  and  that  choice  was  what  it  invariably  is  with 
those  who  try  to  serve  the  two  masters.  The  god 
of  this  world  had  blinded  him.  He  not  only  failed 
to  see  the  beauty  of  Mary's  loving  deed,  as  some  of 
the  other  disciples  did  just  at  the  first,  but  he  had 
become  quite  incapable  of  any  spiritual  insight,  quite 
incapable  of  seeing  his  Master's  glory,  or  recognising 
His  claims.  In  a  certain  sense,  then,  even  Judas 
himself  was  like  the  other  murderers  of  Christ  in  not 
knowing  what  he  did.     Only  he  might  have  known, 

25 


386  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

would  have  known,  had  not  that  accursed  lust  of  gold 
been  always  in  the  way.  And  we  may  say  of  any 
ordinary  worshipper  of  mammon  of  the  present  day, 
that  if  he  had  been  in  Judas'  place,  with  the  prospects 
as  dark  as  they  were  to  him,  with  only  the  one  course 
left,  as  it  would  seem  to  him,  of  extricating  himself 
from  a  losing  concern,  he  would  be  in  the  highest 
degree  likely  to  do  the  very  same  thing. 

As  the  two  days  draw  to  a  close  we  see  Judas  seek- 
ing opportunity  to  betray  his  Master,  and  Jesus  seeking 
opportunity  to  keep  His  last  Passover  with  His  disciples. 
Again  what  a  contrast !  The  traitor  must  lurk  and  lie 
in  wait ;  the  Master  does  not  even  remain  in  Bethany 
or  seek  some  lonely  house  on  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
but  sends  His  disciples  right  over  into  the  city,  and 
with  the  same  readiness  with  which  He  had  found  the 
ass's  colt  on  which  He  rode  into  Jerusalem  He  finds  a 
house  in  which  to  keep  the  feast. 

I. — The  Evening  (xxvi.  20-30). 

The  last  day  of  our  Lord's  Passion  begins  at  even- 
tide on  Thursday  with  the  Passover  feast,*  at  which 
"  He  sat  down  with  the  Twelve." 

The  entire  feast  would  be  closely  associated  in  His 

*  We  may  not  enter  fully  into  the  vexed  question  whether  our 
Lord  kept  the  Passover  on  the  day  appointed  by  law,  or  anticipated 
it  by  twenty- four  hours,  as  some  suppose  to  be  the  necessary  inference 
from  the  narrative  of  St.  John.  It  is  a  long  and  intricate  subject ; 
but  much  unnecessary  difficulty  has  been  imported  into  it  by  those 
who  fail  to  realise  two  important  facts:  (i)  The  word  "Passover" 
is  frequently  used  for  the  entire  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread  (see 
Luke  xxii.  I).  This  is  the  regular  usage  of  St.  John  throughout  his 
Gospel ;  yet  many  assume  that  in  his  story  of  the  Passion  Passover" 
must  mean  Passover  Day.  (2)  "The  preparation  of  the  Passover  ' 
(see  John  xix.  14)  does  not  mean,  as  many  suppose,  the  preparation 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]     THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.         387 

mind  with  the  dark  event  with  which  the  day  must 
close ;  for  of  all  the  types  of  the  great  sacrifice  He  was 
about  to  offer,  the  most  significant  was  the  paschal 
lamb.  Most  fitting,  therefore,  was  it  that  towards  the 
close  of  this  feast,  when  its  sacred  importance  was 
dtepest  in  the  disciples'  minds,  their  Master  should 
institute  the  holy  ordinance  which  was  to  be  a  lasting 
memorial  of  "  Christ  our  Passover  sacrificed  for  us." 
Of  this  feast,  then,  with  its  solemn  and  affecting  close, 
the  passage  before  us  is  the  record. 

It  falls  naturally  into  two  parts,  corresponding  to 
the  two  great  burdens  on  the  Saviour's  heart  as  He 
looked  forward  to  this  feast — the  Betrayal  and  the 
Crucifixion  (see  ver.  2).  The  former  is  the  burden  of 
vv.  21-25  ;  the  latter  of  vv.  26-30.  There  was  indeed 
very  much  besides  to  tell — the  strife  which  grieved  the 
Master's  heart  as  they  took  their  places  at  the  table, 
and  His  wise  and  kindly  dealing  with  it  (Luke  xxii. 
24,  seq.) ;  the  washing  of  the  disciples'  feet ;  the  fare- 
well words  of  consolation  ;  the  prayer  of  intercession 
(John  xiii.-xvii.), — but  these  are  all  omitted  here,  that 
thought  may  be  concentrated  on  the  two  outstanding 
facts :  the  unmasking  and  dismissal  of  the  traitor, 
and  the  committing  to  the  faithful  ones  of  the  sacred 
charge,  "  This  do  in  remembrance  of  Me." 

for  the  paschal  feast,  but  the  preparation  for  the  Sabbath.  This  is  in 
fact  proved,  not  only  by  Mark  xv.  42,  but  by  a  subsequent  reference 
in  the  same  Gospel  (Johnxix.  31).  Suppose  the  paschal  feast  to  have 
been  eaten  on  Thursday  night,  Friday  would  still  be  the  preparation 
day  of  the  Passover,  inasmuch  as  the  next  day  (Saturday)  was  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Passover.  If  these  facts  be  borne  in  mind,  little  diffi- 
culty will  remain  in  accepting  as  the  order  of  events  that  our  Lord 
kept  the  Passover  at  the  proper  time,  on  the  evening  of  the  14th 
Nisan  (Thursday),  died  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  (Friday),  lay  in 
the  grave  over  the  Sabbath  (Saturday,  16th  Nisan),  and  rose  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th,  the  first  day  of  the  week. 


388  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

I.  It  must  have  been  sorrowful  enough  for  the 
Master  as  He  sat  down  with  the  Twelve  to  mark  their 
unseemly  strife,  and  sadder  still  to  think  that,  though 
for  the  hour  so  closely  gathered  round  Him,  they  would 
soon  be  scattered  every  man  to  his  own  and  would 
leave  Him  alone ;  but  He  had  the  comfort  of  knowing 
that  eleven  were  true  at  heart  and  foreseeing  that  after 
all  wanderings  and  falls  they  would  come  back  again. 
"He  knowetb  our  frame,  and  remembereth  that  we  are 
dust " ;  and  therefore  with  the  eye  of  divine  compas- 
sion He  could  look  beyond  the  temporary  desertion,  and 
find  satisfaction  in  the  fidelity  that  would  triumph  in 
the  end  over  the  weakness  of  the  flesh.  But  there  was 
one  of  them,  for  whom  His  heart  was  failing  Him,  in 
whose  future  He  could  see  no  gleam  of  light.  All  the 
guiding  and  counsel  with  which  he  had  been  favoured 
in  common  with  the  rest  had  been  lost  on  him, — even 
the  early  word  of  special  personal  warning  (John 
vi.  70),  spoken  that  he  might  bethink  himself  ere  it 
were  too  late,  had  failed  to  touch  him.  There  is  now 
only  one  opportunity  left.  It  is  the  last  night ;  and 
the  last  word  must  now  be  spoken.  How  tenderly 
and  thoughtfully  the  difficult  duty  is  done  !  "  As  they 
did  eat,  He  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of 
you  shall  betray  Me."  Imagine  in  what  tones  these 
words  were  spoken,  what  love  and  sorrow  must  have 
thrilled  in  them  ! 

The  kind  intention  evidently  was  to  reach  the  heart 
of  the  one  without  attracting  the  attention  of  the  rest. 
For  there  must  have  been  a  studied  avoidance  of  any 
look  or  gesture  that  would  have  marked  the  traitor. 
This  is  manifest  from  the  way  in  which  the  sad  an- 
nouncement is  received.  It  comes,  in  fact,  to  all  the 
eleven  as  a  summons  to  great  scarchings  of  heart,  a 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE  GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY,        389 

fitting  preparation  (1  Cor.  xi.  28)  for  the  new  and 
sacred  service  to  which  they  are  soon  to  be  invited ; 
and  truly  there  could  have  been  no  better  sign  than 
the  passing  from  lip  to  lip,  from  heart  to  heart,  of  the 
anxious  question,  "Lord,  is  it  I  ?"  The  remembrance 
of  the  strife  at  the  beginning  of  the  feast  was  too 
recent,  the  tone  of  the  Master's  voice  too  penetrating, 
the  glance  of  His  eye  too  searching,  to  make  self- 
confidence  possible  to  them  at  that  particular  moment. 
Even  the  heart  of  the  confident  Peter  seems  to  have 
been  searched  and  humbled  under  that  scrutinising 
look.  If  only  he  had  retained  the  same  spirit,  what 
humiliation  would  have  been  spared  him ! 

There  was  one  who  did  not  take  up  the  question ; 
but  the  others  were  all  so  occupied  with  self- scrutiny 
that  no  one  seems  to  have  observed  his  silence,  and 
Jesus  forbears  to  call  attention  to  it.  He  will  give  him 
another  opportunity  to  confess  and  repent,  for  so  we 
understand  the  pathetic  words  which  follow :  u  He 
that  dippeth  his  hand  with  Me  in  the  dish,  the  same 
shall  betray  Me."  This  was  no  mere  outward  sign  for 
the  purpose  of  denoting  the  traitor.  It  was  a  wail  of 
sorrow,  an  echo  of  the  old  lament  of  the  Psalmist : 
"Yea,  mine  own  familiar  friend,  in  whom  I  trusted, 
which  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted  up  his  heel 
against  me."  How  could  the  heart  even  of  Judas 
resist  so  tender  an  appeal  ? 

We  shall  understand  the  situation  better  if  we 
suppose  what  is  more  than  probable,*  that  he  was 
sitting  very  near  to  Jesus,  perhaps  next  to  Him  on 
the  one  side,  as  John  certainly  was  on  the  other.  We 
cannot  suppose,  from  what  we  know  of  the  customs 

*  See  the  interesting  discussion  on  the  arrangement  of  the  table  in 
Edersheim,  "  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,"  vol.  ii,(  p.  494. 


390  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

of  the  East,  that  Judas  was  the  only  one  dipping  with 
Him  in  the  dish ;  nor  would  he  be  the  only  one 
to  whom  "the  sop"  was  given.  But  if  his  position 
was  as  we  have  supposed,  there  was  something  in 
the  vague  words  our  Saviour  used  which  tended 
to  the  singling  of  him  out;  and,  though  not  the  only 
one,  he  would  naturally  be  the  first  to  whom  the 
sop  was  given,  which  would  be  a  sufficient  sign  to 
John,  who  alone  was  taken  into  confidence  at  the  time 
(see  John  xiii.  25,  26),  without  attracting  in  any  special 
way  the  attention  of  the  rest.  Both  in  the  words  and 
in  the  action,  then,  we  recognise  the  Saviour's  yearning 
over  His  lost  disciple,  as  He  makes  a  last  attempt  to 
melt  his  obdurate  heart. 

The  same  spirit  is  manifest  in  the  words  which 
follow.  The  thought  of  consequences  to  Himself  gives 
Him  no  concern ;  "  the  Son  of  man  goeth,  even  as  it 
is  written  of  Him  ; "  it  is  the  awful  abyss  into  which 
His  disciple  is  plunging  that  fills  His  soul  with  horror : 
"  but  woe  unto  that  man  by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is 
betrayed  !  it  had  been  good  for  that  man  if  he  had 
not  been  born."  O  Judas  !  Thy  treachery  is  indeed 
a  link  in  the  chain  of  events  by  which  the  divine  pur- 
pose is  fulfilled;  but  it  was  not  necessary  that  so  it 
should  be.  In  some  other  way  the  counsel  of  the  Lord 
would  have  been  accomplished,  if  thou  hadst  yielded 
to  that  last  appeal.  It  was  necessary  that  the  Son  of 
man  should  suffer  and  die  for  the  world's  sin,  but  there 
was  nothing  to  compel  thee  to  have  thy  hand  in  it. 

At  last  Judas  speaks  ;  but  in  no  spirit  of  repentance. 
He  takes  up,  it  is  true,  the  question  of  the  rest,  but 
not  in  sincerity — only  driven  to  it  as  the  last  refuge  of 
hypocrisy.  Moreover,  he  asks  it  in  so  low  a  tone,  that 
neither  it  nor  the  answer  to  it  appears  to  have  been 


xx vi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        391 

noticed  by  the  general  company  (see  John  xiii.  29). 
And  that  there  is  no  inclining  of  the  heart  to  his  Lord 
appears  perhaps  in  the  use  of  the  formal  title  Rabbi, 
retained  in  the  Revised  Version:  "  Is  it  I,  Rabbi?" 
Had  he  repented  even  at  this  late  hour — had  he  thrown 
himself,  humbled  and  contrite,  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  with 
the  question  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ?  "  struggling  to  find  utter- 
ance, or  better  still,  the  heart-broken  confession  "  Lord, 
it  is  I " — it  would  not  yet  have  been  too  late.  He  Who 
never  turned  a  penitent  away  would  have  received  even 
Judas  back  again  and  forgiven  all  his  sin ;  and  in  lowli- 
ness of  heart  the  repentant  disciple  might  have  received 
at  his  Master's  hands  the  symbols  of  that  infinite  sacrifice 
which  was  sufficient  even  for  such  as  he.  But  his 
conscience  is  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron,  his  heart  is 
hard  as  the  nether  millstone,  and  accordingly  without 
a  word  of  confession,  actually  taking  "  the  sop  "  with- 
out a  sign  even  of  shame,  he  gave  himself  up  finally 
to  the  spirit  of  evil,  and  went  immediately  out — "  and 
it  was  night"  (see  John  xiii.  30).  There  remain  now 
around  the  Master  none  but  true  disciples. 

2.  The  Passover  meal  is  drawing  to  a  close;  but 
ere  it  is  ended  the  Head  of  the  little  family  has  quite 
transfigured  it.  When  the  traitor  left  the  company 
we  may  suppose  that  the  look  of  unutterable  sadness 
would  gradually  pass  from  the  Saviour's  countenance. 
Up  to  this  time  the  darkness  had  been  unrelieved. 
As  he  thought  of  the  lost  disciple's  fate,  there  was 
nothing  but  woe  in  the  prospect ;  but  when  from  that 
dark  future  he  turned  to  His  own,  He  saw,  not  the 
horror  of  the  Cross  alone,  but  "the  joy  set  before 
Him  " ;  and  in  view  of  it  He  was  able  with  a  heart  full 
of  thanks  and  praise  to  appoint  for  remembrance  of 


392  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTHEW. 

the  awful  day  a  feast,  to  be  kept  like  the  Paschal  feast 
by  an  ordinance  for  ever  (see  Ex.  (xii.)  14). 

The  connection  of  the  new  feast  with  the  old  is 
closely  maintained.  It  was  "  as  they  were  eating " 
that  the  Saviour  took  bread,  and  from  the  way  in  which 
He  is  said  to  have  taken  "a  cup"  (R.  V.)  it  is  plain 
that  it  was  one  of  the  cups  it  was  customary  to  take 
at  the  Paschal  feast.  With  this  in  mind  we  can  more 
readily  see  the  naturalness  of  the  words  of  institution. 
They  had  been  feasting  on  the  body  of  the  lamb ;  it 
is  time  that  they  should  look  directly  at  the  Lamb  of 
God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world;  so, 
taking  the  new  symbol  and  handing  it  to  them,  He  says, 
"  Take,  eat ;  this  is  My  body." 

How  strange  that  into  words  so  simple  there  should 
have  been  imported  anything  so  mysterious  and  un- 
natural as  some  of  the  doctrines  around  which  con- 
troversy in  the  Church  has  raged  for  weary  centuries 
— doctrines  sadly  at  variance  with  "  the  simplicity 
that  is  in  Christ."  *  At  the  first  institution  of  the 
Passover  the  directions  for  eating  it  close  with  these 
words,  "  It  is  the  Lord's  Passover."     Does  any  one  for 

*  The  high  Sacramentarian  view  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  not  only 
at  variance  with  the  simple  and  obvious  meaning  of  the  central  words 
of  institution,  but  seems  to  disregard  in  the  most  wanton  manner  the 
plainest  statements  of  the  very  authority  on  which  the  ordinance  is 
based.  According  to  the  Gospel  it  was  "as  they  were  eating"  that 
Jesus  took  the  bread  and  gave  it  to  the  disciples ;  according  to  the 
Ritualist  it  ought  to  be  before  anything  else  has  touched  the  lips. 
For  their  mystical  act  of  consecration  on  the  part  of  the  priest,  all 
they  can  find  either  in  gospel  or  epistle  is  the  simple  giving  of  thanks 
(that  "blessed"  of  ver.  26  is  the  same  act  precisely  is  obvious  by 
comparing  the  corresponding  passages  in  the  other  Gospels  and  in 
the  first  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians — xi.  24) ;  while  in  opposition  to  the 
emphatic  "  Drink  ye  all  of  it?  the  cup  has  been  refused  by  the  Church 
of  Rome  to  the  great  majority  of  her  communicants  1 


xxvi  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT   ATONEMENT  DAY.        393 

a  single  moment  suppose  that  in  so  putting  it  Moses 
meant  to  assert  any  mysterious  identity  of  two  things 
so  diverse  in  their  nature  as  the  literal  flesh  of  the 
lamb  and  the  historical  event  known  as  the  Lord's 
Passover  ?  Why,  then,  should  any  one  for  a  moment 
suppose  that  when  Jesus  says,  "  This  is  My  body,"  He 
had  any  thought  of  mysterious  transference  or  con- 
fusion of  identity  ?  Moses  meant  that  the  one  was  the 
symbol  of  the  other ;  and  in  the  same  way  our  Saviour 
meant  that  the  bread  was  henceforth  to  be  the  symbol 
of  His  body.  The  same  appropriateness,  naturalness 
and  simplicity,  are  apparent  in  the  words  with  which 
He  hands  the  cup  :  "  This  is  My  blood  of  the  covenant " 
(R.V.  omits  new,  which  throws  the  emphasis  more 
distinctly  on  My)  "which  is  shed" — not,  like  the  blood 
of  the  lamb,  for  a  little  family  group,  but — "  for  many," 
not  as  a  mere  sign  (see  Heb.  x.),  but  "unto  remission 
of  sins." 

The  new  symbols  were  evidently  much  more  suitable 
to  the  ordinance  which  was  to  be  of  world-wide  appli- 
cation. Besides,  it  was  no  longer  necessary  that  there 
should  be  further  sacrifice  of  life.  Christ  our  Passover 
was  sacrificed  once  for  all ;  and  therefore  there  must 
be  no  th: -light  of  repetition  of  the  sacrifice ;  it  must  be 
represented  only ;  and  this  is  done  both  simply  and 
impressively  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread  and  the 
pouring  of  the  wine.  Nothing  could  be  more  natural 
than  the  transition  from  the  old  to  the  new  Passover 
feast. 

Rising  now  above  all  matters  of  detail  and  questions 
of  interpretation,  let  us  try  humbly  and  reverently  to 
enter  into  the  mind  of  Christ  as  He  breaks  the  bread 
and  pours  the  wine  and  institutes  the  feast  of  love. 
As  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening  we  had  in  His 


394  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

dealings  with  the  traitor  a  touching  unveiling  of  His 
human  heart,  so  now,  while  there  is  the  same  human 
tenderness,  there  is  with  it  a  reach  of  thought  and 
range  of  vision  which  manifestly  transcend  all  morta 
powers. 

Consider  first  how  extraordinary  it  was  that  at  such 
a  time  He  should  take  pains  to  concentrate  the  thoughts 
of  His  disciples  in  all  time  to  come  upon  His  death. 
Even  the  bravest  of  those  who  had  been  with  Him  in 
all  His  temptations  could  not  look  at  it  now ;  and  to 
His  own  human  soul  it  must  have  seemed  in  the  very 
last  degree  repulsive.  To  the  disciples,  to  the  world, 
it  must  have  seemed  defeat;  yet  He  calmly  provides  for 
its  perpetual  celebration  as  a  victory  ! 

Think  of  the  form  the  celebration  takes.  It  is  no 
mournful  solemnity,  with  dirges  and  elegies  for  one 
about  to  die ;  but  a  Feast — a  strange  way  of  celebrating 
a  death.  It  may  be  said  that  the  Passover  feast  itself 
was  a  precedent;  but  in  this  respect  there  is  no 
parallel.  The  Passover  feast  was  no  memorial  of  a 
death.  If  Moses  had  died  that  night,  would  it  ever 
have  occurred  to  the  children  of  Israel  to  institute  a 
feast  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  in  memory  so  unutter- 
able a  calamity  ?  But  a  greater  than  Moses  is  here, 
and  is  soon  to  die  a  cruel  and  shameful  death.  Is  not 
that  a  calamity  as  much  more  dreadful  than  the  other 
as  Christ  was  greater  than  Moses  ?  Why,  then,  celebrate 
it  by  a  feast  ?  Because  this  death  is  no  calamity.  It 
is  the  means  of  life  to  a  great  multitude  that  no  man  can 
number,  out  of  every  kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and 
nation.  Therefore  it  is  most  fitly  celebrated  by  a  feast. 
It  is  a  memorial ;  but  it  is  far  more.  It  is  a  feast, 
provided  for  the  spiritual  nourishment  of  the  people  of 
God  through  all  their  generations.     Think  what  must 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]     THE    GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        395 

have  been  in  the  Saviour's  mind  when  He  said,  "  Take, 
eat " ;  how  His  soul  must  have  been  enlarged  as  He 
uttered  the  words  "  shed  for  many."  Simple  words, 
easily  spoken  ;  but  before  they  came  from  these  sacred 
lips  there  must  have  risen  before  His  mind  the  vision 
of  multitudes  all  through  the  ages,  fed  on  the  strangest 
food,  refreshed  by  the  strangest  wine,  that  mortal  man 
had  ever  heard  of. 

How  marvellously  the  horizon  widens  round  Him  as 
the  feast  proceeds  I  At  first  He  is  wholly  engaged  with 
the  little  circle  round  the  table.  When  He  says,  "  One 
of  you  shall  betray  Me,"  when  He  takes  the  sop  and 
hands  it,  when  He  pours  out  His  last  lament  over  the 
false  disciple,  He  is  the  Man  of  Sorrows  in  the  little 
upper  chamber;  but  when  He  takes  the  bread  and 
again  the  cup,  the  horizon  widens,  beyond  the  cross 
He  sees  the  glory  that  shall  follow,  sees  men  of  all 
nations  and  climes  coming  to  the  feast  He  is  preparing 
for  them,  and  before  He  closes  He  has  reached  the 
consummation  in  the  heavenly  kingdom  :  "  I  say  unto 
you,  I  will  not  drink  henceforth  of  this  fruit  of  the  vine, 
until  that  day  when  I  drink  it  new  with  you  in  My 
Father's  kingdom."     "  Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God." 

Then  hear  Him  singing  at  the  close.  How  be- 
wildered the  disciples,  how  rapt  the  Master,  must  have 
been  !  What  a  scene  for  the  painter,  what  a  study 
of  divine  calm  and  human  agitation  !  The  "  hymn  " 
they  sang  was  in  all  probability  the  latter  part  of  the 
Great  Hallel,  which  closes  with  Psalm  cxviii.  It  is 
most  interesting  as  we  read  the  psalm  to  think  what 
depths  of  meaning,  into  which  none  of  His  disciples 
as  yet  could  enter,  there  must  have  been  to  Him  in 
almost  every  line. 


396  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST  MATTuEW. 

II. — The  Night  (xxvi.  31-75). 

As  the  little  company  have  lingered  in  the  upper 
room  evening  has  passed  into  night.  The  city  is 
asleep,  as  Jesus  leads  the  way  along  the  silent  streets, 
down  the  steep  slope  of  Moriah,  and  across  the  Kedron, 
to  the  familiar  place  of  resort  on  the  mount  of  Olives. 
As  they  proceed  in  silence,  a  word  of  ancient  prophecy 
lies  heavy  on  His  heart.  It  was  from  Zechariah,  whose 
prophecy  was  often*  in  his  thoughts  in  the  Passion 
week.  "  Awake,  O  sword,  against  My  shepherd,  and 
against  the  man  that  is  My  fellow,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts :  smite  the  shepherd,  and  the  sheep  shall  be 
scattered."  It  is  the  last  part  of  it  that  troubles  Him. 
For  the  smiting  of  the  Shepherd  He  is  well  prepared ; 
it  is  the  scattering  of  the  sheep  that  makes  His  heart 
so  sore,  and  forces  Him  to  break  the  silence  with  the 
sorrowful  words,  "  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of 
Me  this  night."  What  pathos  in  these  words  "  because 
of  Me":  how  it  pained  Him  to  think  that  what  must 
come  to  Him  should  be  so  terrible  to  them  !  And  is 
there  not  a  touch  of  kind  allowance  in  the  words  "  this 
night "  ?  "  He  that  walketh  in  the  night  stumbleth," 
and  how  could  they  but  stumble  in  such  a  night? 
Then  the  thought  of  the  shepherd  and  the  sheep  which 
fills  His  mind  and  suggests  the  passage  He  quotes 
is  full  of  tenderness  without  even  a  hint  of  reproach. 
Who  will  blame  the  sheep  for  scattering  when  the 
Shepherd  is  smitten  ?  And  how  trustfully  and  withal 
how  wistfully  does  He  look  forward  to  the  reassembling 
of  the  flock  in  the  old  home,  the  sacred  region  where 
they  gathered  first  around  the  Shepherd  :  "After  I  am 
risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you  (as  the  shepherd  goes 

*  See  Zech.  ix.  9,  xi.  12,  xiii.  7. 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        397 

before  the  flock)  into  Galilee."  Thus  after  all  would 
be  fulfilled  His  prayer  of  intercession,  so  recently 
offered  on  their  behalf :  "  Holy  Father,  keep  through 
Thine  own  name  those  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me, 
that  they  may  be  one." 

The  silly  sheep  were  not  at  all  alarmed.  This  was 
altogether  natural ;  for  the  danger  was  not  yet  within 
their  sight.  Nor  was  it  really  at  all  unnatural  that  the 
impulsive  Peter  should  be  now  at  the  very  opposite 
pole  of  feeling  from  where  he  stood  an  hour  or  two 
before.  Then,  sharing  the  general  depression,  he 
joined  the  rest  in  the  anxious  question,  "  Lord,  is  it 
I  ? "  now,  having  been  relieved  from  the  anxiety 
which  for  the  moment  pressed  upon  him,  and  having 
been  moreover  raised  into  a  glow  of  feeling  and  an 
assurance  of  faith  by  his  Master's  tender  and  stirring 
words,  and  the  prayer  of  intercession  which  so  fitly 
closed  them,  he  has  passed  from  the  depths  of  self- 
distrust  to  the  heights  of  self-confidence,  so  that  he 
even  dares  to  say,  u  Though  all  men  shall  be  offended 
because  of  Thee,  yet  will  /  never  be  offended." 

Ah !  Peter,  you  were  safe  when  you  were  crying 
"  Lord,  is  it  I  ?  " — you  are  very  far  from  safe  now,  when 
you  speak  of  yourself  in  so  different  a  tone.  Jesus 
sees  it  all,  and  gives  him  warning  in  the  very  plainest 
words.  But  Peter  persists.  He  vainly  imagines  that 
his  Master  cannot  know  how  strong  he  is,  how  burning 
his  zeal,  how  warm  his  love,  how  steadfast  his  devotion. 
Of  all  this  he  is  himself  distinctly  conscious.  There  is 
no  mistake  about  it.  Devotion  thrills  in  every  fibre  of 
his  being;  and  he  knows,  he  feels  it  in  his  soul,  that 
no  torture,  not  death  itself,  could  move  him  from  his 
steadfastness  :  "  Though  I  should  die  with  Thee,  yet 
will   I   not  deny  Thee."     "  Likewise  also  said  all  the 


398  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

disciples."  Quite  natural  too.  For  the  moment  Peter 
was  the  leader  of  the  sheep.  They  all  caught  his 
enthusiasm,  and  were  conscious  of  the  same  devotion  : 
why,  then,  should  they  not  acknowledge  it  as  he  had 
done  ?  They  had  yet  to  learn  the  difference  between 
a  transient  glow  of  feeling  and  abiding  inward  strength. 
Only  by  sad  experience  can  they  learn  it  now ;  so  Jesus 
lets  them  have  the  last  word. 

And  now  Gethsemane  is  reached.  The  olive  trees 
which  in  the  daytime  give  a  shadow  from  the  heat  will 
now  afford  seclusion,  though  the  moon  is  at  the  full. 
Here,  then,  the  Son  of  man  will  spend  some  time  with 
God,  alone,  before  He  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of 
sinners ;  and  yet,  true  Son  of  man  as  He  is,  He  shrinks 
from  being  left  alone  in  that  dread  hour,  and  clings  to 
the  love  and  sympathy  of  those  who  have  been  with 
Him  in  His  temptations  hitherto.  So  He  leaves  eight 
of  the  disciples  at  the  entering  in  of  the  olive  grove, 
and  takes  with  Him  into  the  darkness  the  three  most 
in  sympathy  with  Him — the  same  three  wTho  had  been 
sole  witnesses  of  His  power  in  raising  from  the  dead 
the  daughter  of  Jairus,  and  had  alone  seen  His  glory 
on  the  holy  mount.  But  even  these  three  cannot  go 
with  Him  all  the  way.  He  will  have  them  as  near  as 
possible;  and  yet  He  must  be  alone.  Did  He  think 
of  the  passage,  "  I  have  trodden  the  winepress  *  alone, 
and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  me  "  ? 

That  solitude  may  not  be  invaded.  We  can  only, 
like  the  disciples  of  old,  look  reverently  at  it  from  afar. 
There  are  probably  many  true  disciples  who  can  get 
no  nearer  than  the  edge  of  the  darkness ;  those  who  are 
closest  in  sympathy  may  be  able   to  obtain  a  nearer 

•  Gethsemane  means  oil-press. 


xxvi.  i-xxvii  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        399 

view,  but  even  those  who  like  John  have  leant  on  His 
breast  can  know  it  only  in  part — in  its  depth  it  passeth 
knowledge.  Jesus  is  alone  in  Gethsemane  yet,  and  of 
the  people  there  is  none  with  Him. 

"  Ah  !  never,  never  can  we  know 
The  depth  of  that  mysterious  woe." 

While  it  is  not  possible  for  any  of  us  to  penetrate 
the  deep  recesses  of  Gethsemane,  we  have  a  key  to  let 
us  in,  and  open  to  us  something  of  its  meaning.  This 
help  is  found  in  that  striking  passage  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews,  where  the  experience  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
in  the  Garden  is  closely  connected  with  His  being 
"  called  of  God  an  High  Priest  after  the  order  of 
Melchisedec."  It  is  true  that  at  His  baptism  Jesus 
entered  on  His  ministry  in  its  largest  sense,  the  Prophet, 
Priest,  and  King  of  men.  But  there  is  a  sense  in  which 
later  on,  at  successive  stages,  He  was  "  called  of  God  " 
to  each  of  these  offices  in  succession.  At  His  baptism 
the  voice  from  heaven  was,  "This  is  My  Beloved  Son, 
in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased."  On  the  mount  of  Trans- 
figuration there  was  this  added,  "  Hear  ye  Him,"  and 
the  withdrawal  of  Moses  and  Elias,  leaving  Jesus  alone, 
indicated  that  henceforth  He  was  called  of  God  to  be 
the  one  prophet  of  humanity.  Similarly,  though  from 
the  beginning  He  was  King,  it  was  not  till  after  He 
had  overcome  the  sharpness  of  death  that  He  was 
"  called  of  God "  to  be  King,  to  take  His  seat  on  the 
right  hand  of  majesty  in  the  heavens.  At  what  period, 
then,  in  His  ministry  was  it  that  He  was  called  of  God 
to  be  an  high  priest  ?  To  this  natural  question  the 
passage  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  supplies  the 
answer ;  and  when  we  take  the  thought  with  us  we  see 
that  it  is  indeed  a  torch  to  lighten  for  us  just  a  little 
the  darkness  of  the  Garden's  gloom. 


400  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Is  there  not  something  in  the  very  arrangement  of 
the  group  which  harmonises  with  the  thought  ? 
Three  days  ago  the  Temple  had  been  closed  for  ever 
to  its  Lord.  Its  shrine  was  empty  now  for  evermore  : 
"Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  youd  esolate."  But 
still  there  is  to  be  a  temple,  in  which  shall  minister  a 
priest,  not  of  the  line  of  Aaron,  rather  after  the  older 
order  of  Melchisedec — a  temple,  not  of  stone,  but  of 
men — of  believers,  according  to  the  later  apostolic  word  : 
"  Ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living  God."  Of  that  new  and 
living  temple  we  have  a  representation  in  Gethsemane. 
The  eight  disciples  are  its  court ;  the  three  are  in  the 
holy  place ;  into  the  holiest  of  all  our  great  High  Priest 
has  gone — alone  :  for  the  veil  is  not  yet  rent  in  twain. 

But  why  the  agony  ?  The  difficulty  has  always 
been  to  account  for  the  sudden  charge  from  the  calm- 
ness of  the  Paschal  feast  to  the  awful  struggle  of 
Gethsemane.  What  had  happened  meanwhile  to  bring 
about  so  great  a  change  ?  There  was  light  in  the 
upper  chamber — it  was  dark  in  the  Garden  ;  but  surely 
the  darkness  and  the  light  were  both  alike  to  Him ;  or 
if  to  His  human  heart  there  was  the  difference  we  all 
are  conscious  of,  it  could  not  be  that  the  mere  with- 
drawal of  the  light  destroyed  His  peace.  It  is  altogether 
probable  that  both  the  previous  nights  had  been  spent 
on  this  same  mount  of  Olives,  and  there  is  no  hint  of 
agony  then.  It  is  true  that  the  prospect  before  Him 
was  full  of  unutterable  horror ;  but  from  the  time  He 
had  set  His  face  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  it  had  been 
always  in  His  view,  and  though  at  times  the  thought  of 
it  would  come  over  Him  as  a  cold  wave  that  made  Him 
shudder  for  the  moment,  there  had  been  up  to  this  hour 
no  agony  like  this,  and  not  a  trace  of  pleading  that  the 
cup  might  pass. 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        401 

What,  then,  was  the  new  element  of  woe  that  came 
upon  Him  in  that  hour  ?  What  was  the  cup  now  put 
for  the  first  time  to  His  sacred  lips,  from  which  He 
shrank  as  from  nothing  in  all  His  sad  experience 
before  ?  Is  not  the  answer  to  be  found  in  the  region 
of  thought  into  which  we  are  led  in  that  great  passage 
already  referred  to,  which  speaks  of  Him  as  then  for 
the  first  time  "  called  of  God  an  High  Priest,"  which 
represents  Him,  though  He  was  a  Son,  learning  His 
obedience  (as  a  Priest)  by  the  things  which  He  suffered? 

May  we  not,  then,  reverently  conceive  of  Him  as  in 
that  hour  taking  on  Him  the  sin  of  the  world,  in  a 
more  intimate  sense  than  He  had  ever  done  before? 
u  He  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree."  In 
a  certain  sense  He  had  borne  the  burden  all  His  life, 
for  He  had  throughout  endured  the  contradiction  of 
sinners  against  Himself;  but  in  some  special  sense 
manifestly  He  bore  it  on  the  tree.  When  did  He  in 
that  special  sense  take  the  awful  burden  on  Him?  Was 
it  not  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane  ?  If  so,  can  we 
wonder  that  the  Holy  One  shrank  from  it,  as  He  never 
shrank  from  simple  suffering  ?  To  be  identified  with 
sin — to  be  "  made  sin,"  as  the  apostle  puts  it — how  His 
soul  revolted  from  it !  The  cup  of  sorrow  He  could 
take  without  a  murmur ;  but  to  take  on  Him  the  in- 
tolerable load  of  the  world's  sin — from  this  He  shrank 
with  all  the  recoil  of  stainless  purity,  with  all  the  horror 
of  a  heart  that  c^uld  not  bear  the  very  thought.  It 
was  not  the  weakness  of  His  flesh,  but  the  purity  of 
His  spirit,  that  made  Him  shrink,  that  wrung  from 
Him  once  and  again,  and  yet  again,  the  cry,  u  Father, 
if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  Me."  It  was 
a  new  temptation,  three  times  repeated,  like  that  old 
one  in  the  wilderness.     That  assault,  as  we  found,  was 

26 


402  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

in  close  relation  to  His  assumption  at  His  baptism 
of  His  work  of  ministry ;  this  conflict  in  the  Garden 
was;  we  believe,  as  closely  connected  with  His  assum- 
ing His  priestly  work,  undertaking  to  make  atonement 
for  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself.  As  that  followed 
His  baptism,  this  followed  His  institution  of  the  holy 
supper.  In  that  ordinance  He  had  prepared  the  minds 
of  His  disciples  to  turn  from  the  Paschal  lamb  of  the 
old  covenant,  to  behold  henceforth  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  From  the 
feast  He  goes  straightway  to  this  lonely  garden,  and 
there  begins*  His  dread  atoning  work. 

It  must  have  been  a  great  aggravation  of  His  agony 
that  even  the  three  disciples  could  not  enter  into 
sympathy  with  Him,  even  so  much  as  to  hold  their 
eyes  waking.  True,  they  were  very  weary,  and  it  was 
most  natural  that  they  should  be  heavy  with  sleep ; 
but  had  they  had  even  a  faint  conception  of  what  that 
agony  of  their  Master  meant  they  could  not  possibly 
have  slept ;  and  we  can  well  fancy  that  in  that  hour  of 
anguish  the  Saviour  must  have  called  to  mind  from  the 
Book  of  Psalms,  with  which  He  was  so  perfectly  familiar, 
the  sad  lament :  "  Reproach  hath  broken  my  heart ; 
and  I  am  full  of  heaviness :  and  I  looked  for  some  to 
take  pity,  but  there  was  none ;  and  for  comforters,  but 
I  found  none." 

But  though  He  keenly  feels  His  loneliness,  His 
thoughts  are  far  less  of  Himself  than  of  them.  Realis- 
ing so  vividly  the  horrors  now  so  close  at  hand,  He 
sees,  from  the  very  possibility  of  their  sleeping,  how 
utterly  unprepared  they  are  for  what  awaits  them,  so 
He  summons  them  to  u  watch  and  pray,"  to  be  on  the 
alert  against  sudden  surprise,  and  to  keep  in  constant 

*  Observe  the  emphatic  word,  "began  to  be  sorrowful"  (ver.  37) 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]     THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        403 


touch  with  God,  so  that  they  may  not  find  themselves 
confronted  with  temptation  which,  whatever  the  devo- 
tion of  the  spirit,  may  prove  too  much  for  the  weakness 
of  the  flesh.  Think  of  the  tender  consideration  of  this 
second  warning,  when  the  first  had  been  so  little 
heeded. 

And  we  cannot  but  agree  with  those  who  see  in 
what  He  said  when  He  returned  for  the  last  time  to 
the  three,  not  irony,  no  touch  of  sarcasm,  but  the  same 
tender  consideration  He  has  shown  throughout.  From 
the  Garden  they  could  easily  see  the  city  in  the  moon- 
light across  the  ravine.  As  yet  there  was  no  sign  of 
life  about  it :  all  was  quiet ;  there  was  therefore  no 
reason  why  they  should  not  for  the  few  moments  that 
might  remain  to  them  sleep  on  now  and  take  their  rest. 
But  it  can  only  be  for  a  short  time,  for  "  the  hour  is  at 
hand."  We  may,  then,  think  of  the  three  lying  down  to 
sleep,  as  the  eight  had  probably  been  doing  throughout, 
while  Jesus,  from  whose  mortal  eyes  sleep  was  banished 
now  for  ever,  would  watch  until  He  saw  the  gleam  of 
lanterns  and  torches  as  of  men  from  the  city  coming 
down  the  hill,  and  then  He  would  wake  them  and  say, 
u  Rise,  let  us  be  going :  behold,  he  is  at  hand  that  doth 
betray  Me." 

The  arrest  immediately  follows  the  agony ;  and 
with  it  begins  the  outward  shame  and  torture  of  the 
Passion.  The  time  has  now  come  when  all  the  indig- 
nfties  and  cruelties  of  which  Jesus  had  spoken  to  His 
disciples  "apart  in  the  way"  (see  xx.  17-19)  shall  be 
heaped  upon  Him.  But  none  of  these  things  move 
Him.  The  inward  shame  and  torture  had  almost  been 
too  much  for  Him.  His  soul  had  been  "exceeding 
sorrowful,  even  unto  death  "  ;  so  that  He  was  in  danger 


404  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

of  passing  away  from  the  scene  of  conflict  ere  yet  it 
would  be  possible  to  say  "It  is  finished."  Only  by 
"  strong  crying  and  tears  unto  Him  that  was  able  to 
save  Him  from  death "  had  He  obtained  the  needful 
strength  (Luke  xxii.  43)  to  pass  the  awful  ordeal,  and 
come  out  of  it  ready  to  yield  Himself  up  into  the 
"wicked  hands"  by  which  He  must  be  "crucified  and 
slain."  But  now  He  is  strong.  St.  Matthew  does  not 
tell  us  that  the  prayer  in  the  Garden  was  answered; 
but  we  see  it  as  we  follow  the  Son  of  man  along  the 
dolorous  way.  If  He  shrank  from  taking  up  the  load 
of  human  sin,  He  does  not  flinch  in  carrying  it;  and 
amid  all  He  has  to  bear  at  the  hands  of  sinners,  He 
maintains  His  dignity  and  self-possession. 

When  the  armed  men  approach,  He  goes  calmly  out 
to  meet  them.  Even  the  traitor's  kiss  He  does  not 
resent ;  but  only  takes  occasion  to  make  one  more 
appeal  to  that  stony  heart,  "Comrade,"*  He  says, 
"  (do)  that  for  which  thou  art  come "  (see  R.V.). 
There  is  a  brokenness  in  the  utterance  which  makes 
it  difficult  to  translate,  but  which  is  touchingly  natural. 
It  would  seem  as  if  our  Lord,  when  Judas  firi>t  appeared, 
though  He  knew  well  for  what  purpose  He  had  come, 
and  wished  to  show  him  that  He  did,  yet  shrank  from 
putting  it  into  words.  When  the  traitor  had  actually 
done  that  for  which  he  had  come,  when  he  had  not 
only  given  the  traitor's  kiss,  and  that  in  a  shamelessly 

*  The  word  "friend  "  is  too  strong.  It  is  not  the  same  word  our 
Lord  uses  when  He  says  :  "  I  have  not  called  you  servants,  1  have 
called  you  iricnus'-;  it  is  a  word  which  indicates  not  heart-friendship, 
but  that  familiar  intercourse  which  is  supposed  to  take  place  only 
between  friends.  The  selection  of  the  word  is  a  striking  illustration 
of  our  Lord's  carefulness  of  the  claims  of  sincerity  and  truth,  while 
He  is  anxious  if  possible  to  use  a  word  that  will  touch  the  traitor s 
heart 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]     THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        405 

effusive  way,  as  appears  from  the  strong  word  used  in 
the  account  both  here  and  elsewhere,  then  would  come 
that  other  appeal  which  most  impressed  the  eye-witness 
from  whom  St.  Luke  had  his  information:  "Judas, 
betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss?" 

At  this  point  probably  Occurred  an  incident  of  the 
arrest  recorded  only  in  the  fourth  Gospel,  the  recoil  of 
the  mob  when  Jesus  confronted  them  and  acknowledged 
Himself  to  be  the  man  whom  they  were  seeking. 
Though  this  is  not  mentioned  here,  we  recognise  the 
effect  of  it  upon  the  disciples.  It  would  naturally 
embolden  them  when,  on  the  second  advance,  they  saw 
their  Master  in  the  hands  of  these  men,  to  ask,  "  Lord, 
shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  ?  "  Arid  it  was  most 
characteristic  that  " one  of  them"  (whom  we  should 
have  recognised,  even  though  St.  John  had  not  men- 
tioned his  name)  should  not  wait  for  the  answer,  but 
should  smite  at  once. 

All  is  excitement  and  commotion.  Jesus  alone  is 
calm.  In  such  a  sea  of  trouble,  behold  the  Man  ! 
See  the  heart  at  leisure  from  itself  to  care  for  and  to 
cure  the  wounded  servant  of  the  high  priest  (Luke 
xxii.  51).  Think  of  the  mind  so  free  at  such  a  time  to 
look  out  far  into  the  future,  using  the  occasion  to  lay 
down  the  great  principle  that  force,  as  a  weapon  which 
will  recoil  on  those  who  use  it,  must  not  be  employed 
in  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness.  Look  at  that 
spirit,  so  serenely  confident  of  power  with  God  at  the 
very  moment  that  the  frail  body  is  helpless  in  the  hands 
of  men  :  u  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  now  pray  to  My 
Father,  and  He  shall  presently  give  Me  more  than 
twelve  legions  of  angels  ?  n  How  it  enlarges  our  souls 
even  to  try  to  enter  into  that  great  mind  and  heart  at 
such  a  moment.     What  an  outlook  of  thought  I     What 


406  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

an  up-look  of  faith  !  And  again,  what  mastery  !  What 
self-annihilation !  We  have  seen  His  self-repression 
in  the  prayer  He  offered  in  the  Garden ;  but  think  of 
the  prayers  He  did  not  offer :  think  what  effort,  what 
sacrifice,  what  self-abnegation  it  must  have  been  to 
Him  to  suppress  that  prayer  for  help  from  the  legions 
of  heaven  against  these  bands  of  the  ungodly.  But  it 
was  enough  for  Him  to  remember,  "  How  then  shall 
the  Scriptures  be  fulfilled,  that  thus  it  must  be  ?  "  It 
was  necessary  that  He  should  suHer  at  the  hands  of 
men;  therefore  He  allows  them  to  lead  Him  away, 
only  reminding  them  that  the  force  which  would  have 
been  needful  for  the  arrest  of  some  robber  desperado 
was  surely  quite  unnecessary  in  dealing  with  One  Whose 
daily  practice  it  had  been  to  sit  quietly  teaching  in  the 
Temple. 

The  reference  to  the  Scriptures  was  probably  in- 
tended not  only  to  explain  His  non-resistance,  but 
also  to  support  the  faith  of  His  disciples  when  they 
saw  Him  bound  and  carried  off.  Had  they  known  the 
Scriptures  as  under  His  teaching  they  might  well  have 
known  them,  not  only  would  they  have  seen  that 
u  thus  it  must  be,"  but  they  would  have  had  before 
them  the  sure  prospect  of  His  rising  from  the  dead  on 
the  third  day.  But  in  their  case  the  Scriptures  were 
appealed  to  in  vain;  they  had  not  the  faith  of  their 
Master  to  venture  on  the  sure  Word  of  God ;  and  so, 
hope  failing,  "all  the  disciples  forsook  Him  and  fled." 
Not  all  finally,  however,  even  for  that  dark  night ;  for 
though  faith  and  hope  failed,  there  remained  love  enough 
in  the  hearts  of  two  to  make  them  presently  stop  and 
think,  and  then  turn  slowly  and  follow  from  a/cj*.  Only 
Peter  is  mentioned  here  as  doing  this,  because  the 
sequel  concerns  him ;  but  that  John  also  went  to  the 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]     THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        407 

palace  of  the  high  priest  we  know  from  his  own  account 
(John  xviii.  15). 

The  night  is  not  yet  over,  and  therefore  there  can 
be  no  formal  meeting  of  the  Jewish  council,  according 
to  an  excellent  law  which  enacted  that  all  cases  in- 
volving the  death  penalty  should  be  tried  in  the  day- 
time. This  law  was,  quite  characteristically,  observed 
in  the  letter,  transgressed  in  the  spirit ;  for  though  the 
formal  sentence  was  deferred  till  morning  (xxvii.  1), 
the  real  trial  was  begun  and  ended  before  the  dawn. 
The  reference  by  St.  Matthew  to  both  sessions  of  the 
council  enables  us  clearly  to  understand  what  would 
otherwise  have  appeared  a  "  manifest  discrepancy " 
between  his  account  and  that  of  St.  Luke,  the  former 
speaking  of  the  trial  as  having  taken  place  in  the  night, 
while -the  latter  tells  us  it  only  began  "as  soon  as  it 
was  day." 

Our  Evangelist  shows  himself  to  be  a  true  historian 
in  that,  while  disposing  of  the  formal  morning  session 
in  half  a  sentence,  he  gives  a  full  account  of  the  night 
conclave  which  really  settled  all.  They  proceed  in  a 
thoroughly  characteristic  manner.  Having  secured  their 
prisoner,  they  must  first  agree  upon  the  charge  :  what 
shall  it  be  ?  It  was  no  easy  matter ;  for  not  only  had 
his  life  been  stainless,  but  He  had  shown  consummate 
skill  in  avoiding  all  the  entanglements  which  had  been 
set  for  Him  ;  and  besides,  it  so  happened  that  nothing 
they  could  prove  conclusively  against  Him,  such  as  His 
breaking  the  letter  of  the  Sabbath  law,  or  rather  of 
their  traditions,  would  suit  their  purpose,  for  they 
would  run  the  risk  on  the  one  hand  of  calling  fresh 
attention  to  the  works  of  healing  which  had  made  so 
deep  an  impression  on  the  popular  mind,  and  on  the 


408  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

other  of  stirring  up  strife  between  the  opposing  factions 
which  had  entered  into  a  precarious  union  based  solely  on 
their  common  desire  to  do  away  with  Him.  Hence  the 
great  difficulty  of  securing  testimony  against  Him,  and 
the  necessity  of  having  recourse  to  that  which  was  false. 

We  may  wonder  perhaps  that  a  court  so  unscru- 
pulous should  have  made  so  much  of  the  difficulty  of 
getting  witnesses  to  agree.  Could  they  not,  for  other 
"  thirty  pieces  of  silver/'  have  purchased  two  that  would 
have  served  their  purpose  ?  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  men  in  their  position  had  to  pay  some  respect  to 
decency ;  and  from  their  point  of  view  to  pay  a  man 
for  helping  to  arrest  a  criminal  was  an  entirely  different 
transaction  from  giving  money  to  procure  false  witness. 
Besides,  there  were  men  of  the  council  who  did  not 
"  consent  to  the  counsel  and  deed  of  them  "  (see  Luke 
xxiii.  51,  and  John  vii.  50,  51),  and  they  must  be  careful. 
It  is  not  probable  of  course  that  Joseph  of  Arimathsea 
and  Nicodemus  would  be  present  at  the  secret  session 
in  the  night ;  but  they  would  of  course  be  present,  or 
have  the  opportunity  of  being  present,  at  the  regular 
meeting  in  the  morning. 

When,  therefore,  the  attempt  to  found  a  charge  on 
the  testimony  of  witnesses  against  Him  failed,  the  only 
hope  was  to  force  Him,  if  possible,  to  incriminate  Him- 
self. The  high  priest  accordingly  addresses  himself 
to  the  prisoner,  and  attempts  to  induce  Him  to  say 
something  which  might  tend  to  clear  up  the  confusion 
of  the  witnesses'  testimony.  It  was  evident  that  some- 
thing had  been  said  about  destroying  the  temple  and 
building  it  in  three  days — would  He  not  state  exactly 
what  it  was  ?  "  But  Jesus  held  His  peace."  He  would 
not  plead  before  such  a  tribunal,  or  acknowledge  tl 
irregular  appeal  by  so  much  as  a  single  word. 


xxvi,  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        409 

Caiaphas  is  baffled  ;  but  there  is  one  course  left  to 
him,  a  course  which  for  many  reasons  he  would  have 
preferred  not  to  take,  but  he  sees  now  no  other  way 
of  setting  up  a  charge  that  will  bear  examination  in  the 
morning.  He  therefore  appeals  to  Jesus  in  the  most 
solemn  manner  to  assert  or  deny  His  Messiahship. 

Silence  is  now  impossible.  The  high  priest  has  given 
Him  the  opportunity  of  proclaiming  His  gospel  in 
presence  of  the  council,  and  He  will  not  lose  it, 
though  it  seal  His  condemnation.  "  He  cannot  deny 
Himself."  In  the  most  emphatic  manner  He  proclaims 
Himself  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  tells  them 
that  the  time  is  coming  when  their  positions  shall  be 
reversed — He  their  Judge,  they  summoned  to  His  bar : 
"  Henceforth  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  at 
the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  on  the  clouds  of 
heaven."  (R.V.).  What  light  must  have  been  in  His 
eye,  what  majesty  in  His  mien,  as  He  spoke  those 
thrilling  words  !  And  who  shall  limit  their  power  ? 
Who  of  us  shall  be  surprised  to  find  members  of  that 
very  conclave  among  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  in  the 
New  Jerusalem  ?  They  might  not  heed  His  words 
that  night,  but  three  days  after  would  they  not  recall 
them  ?     And  fifty  days  after  that  again — who  can  tell  ? 

Meantime  the  only  result  is  to  produce  real  or 
affected  horror.  "The  h'gh  priest  rent  his  clothes," 
thereby  expressing  in  a  tragic  manner  how  it  tore  his 
heart  to  hear  such  "blasphemy";  and  with  one  con- 
sent, or  at  least  with  no  voice  raised  against  it,  He  is 
condemned  to  death. 

The  council  have  now  done  with  Him  for  the  night, 
and  He  is  handed  over  to  the  custody  of  the  guard  and 
the  servants  of  the  high  priest.  Then  follows  that 
awful  scene,  which  cannot  be  recalled  without  a  shudder. 


410  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW, 

To  think  that  the  Holy  One  of  God  should  suffer  these 
personal  indignities — oh,  degradation  I  It  is  more 
dreadful  to  think  of  than  even  the  nails  and  the  spear. 
Alas,  even  the  dregs  of  the  bitter  cup  of  sorrow  were 
wrung  out  to  Him  !  "  Is  it  nothing  to  you,  all  ye  that 
pass  by  ?  behold  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like 
unto  My  sorrow!" 

Where  is  Peter  now  ?  We  left  him  following  afar 
off.  He  has  summoned  up  courage  enough  to  follow  on 
into  the  court  of  the  high  priest's  palace,  and  to  mingle 
among  the  people  there.  If  he  had  been  let  alone, 
he  would  with  John  have  in  some  measure  retrieved 
the  disgrace  of  all  the  disciples  forsaking  their  Master 
in  "  that  night  on  which  He  was  betrayed  "  ;  but  it  has 
been  necessary  to  rally  all  the  remnants  of  his  bravery 
to  come  so  far,  and  now  he  has  none  of  it  to  spare. 
Besides,  he  is  very  tired,  and  shivering  with  cold — in 
no  condition,  verily,  for  anything  heroic.  Who  is  there 
of  us  will  cast  the  first  stone  at  him  ?  There  are  those 
that  speak  of  him  in  a  tone  of  contempt  as  "  quailing 
before  a  servant  maid,"  as  if  the  meanness  of  the  occasion 
were  not  the  very  thing  which  made  it  so  hard  for  him. 
Had  he  been  summoned  to  the  presence  of  the  high 
priest,  with  all  the  eyes  of  the  council  fastened  on  him, 
his  tired  feeling  would  have  left  him  all  at  once,  his 
pulse  would  have  beat  fast,  the  excitement  would  have 
stirred  him  so  that  no  fire  of  coals  would  have  been 
needed  to  warm  him,  and  he  might  then  have  acquitted 
himself  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  rock-apostle ;  but  to 
be  suddenly  met  with  a  woman's  question  sprung  upon 
him  unawares,  with  nobody  he  cared  for  looking  on, 
with  nothing  to  rouse  his  soul  from  the  prostration  into 
which    it  had   been   cast  by   the  suddenness  of  what 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY,        411 

looked  like  overwhelming  defeat — that  was  more  than 
even  Peter  could  bear;  and  accordingly  he  fell — fell 
terribly.  Not  to  the  bottom  all  at  once.  He  tries  first 
to  pass  the  question  off  with  a  show  of  ignorance  or 
indifference :  "  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest."  But 
when  the  first  downward  step  is  taken,  all  the  rest 
follow  with  terrible  rapidity.  As  we  look  down  into 
the  abyss  into  which  plunged  headlong  the  foremost 
of  the  Twelve,  and  hear  these  oaths  and  curses,  what 
force  it  lends  to  the  warning  in  Gethsemane :  "  Watch 
and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation  "  ! 

What  a  lesson  of  charity  is  here !  Suppose  for  a 
moment  that  one  of  the  Marys  had  been  standing  near, 
and  heard  Peter  denying  his  Master  with  oaths  and 
curses,  what  would  her  thought  of  him  have  been  ? 
What  else  could  it  have  been  than  a  thought  of 
sorrowful  despair  ?  She  would  have  felt  constrained, 
however  reluctantly,  to  place  him,  not  with  the  timid  ten, 
but  alongside  of  "  Judas  who  betrayed  Him."  Yet  she 
would  have  been  wrong ;  and  many  good  people  are 
quite  wrong  when  they  judge  disciples  of  Christ  by  what 
they  see  of  them  when  at  their  worst.  After  all  Peter 
was  true  at  heart ;  and  though  from  such  an  abyss  he 
could  never  have  recovered  himself,  he  was  so  linked  to 
his  Master  by  the  true  devotion  of  the  days  of  old  that 
he  could  not  fall  utterly  away.  It  was  quite  otherwise 
with  Judas.  His  heart  had  been  set  on  his  covetous- 
ness  throughout,  while  Peter  in  his  inmost  soul  was 
loyal  and  true.  His  Master  has  prayed  for  him  that 
his  faith  fail  not.  His  courage  has  failed ;  and  if  that 
faith  which  is  the  only  sure  foundation  for  enduring 
courage  had  utterly  failed  too,  his  case  would  have  been 
hopeless  indeed.  But  it  has  not ;  there  is  still  a  link  to 
bind  him  to  the  Lord,  Whom  in  word  he  is  denying  f  r 


412  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


the  moment ;  and  first  the  crowing  of  the  cock  which 
reminds  him  of  his  Master's  warning,  and  then  imme- 
diately after,  that  look  which  was  turned  full  on  Peter 
as  Jesus  passed  him,  led  across  the  court,  perhaps 
with  jeerings  and  bufferings  at  the  very  moment — that 
solemn  memory  and  that  sad  and  loving  look  recall 
him  to  himself  again,  the  old  true  life  wells  up  from 
the  depths  of  the  genuine  and  noble  heart  of  him,  and 
overflows  in  tears.  So  ends  the  story  of  that  awful 
night. 

III. — The  Morning  (xxvii.  1-26). 

The  formal  meeting  of  the  council  in  the  morning 
would  not  occupy  many  minutes.  The  death  sentence 
had  been  already  agreed  upon,  and  it  only  remained  to 
take  the  necessary  steps  to  carry  it  into  effect.  Hence 
the  form  in  which  the  Evangelist  records  the  morning 
session  :  "  All  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the 
people  took  counsel  against  Jesus  to  put  Him  to 
death."  This  could  not  have  passed  as  a  minute  of 
the  meeting ;  but  it  was  none  the  less  a  true  account 
of  it.  As,  however,  the  law  forbade  their  inflicting  the 
death  penalty,  "  when  they  had  bound  Him,  they  led 
Him  away,  and  delivered  Him  to  Pontius  Pilate  the 
governor." 

This  delivering  up  of  Jesus  is  a  fact  of  the  Passion 
on  which  special  stress  is  laid  in  the  sacred  records. 
It  seems,  indeed,  to  have  weighed  on  the  mind  of  Jesus 
Himself  as  much  as  the  betrayal,  as  would  appear  from 
the  manner  in  which,  as  He  was  nearing  Jerusalem, 
He  told  His  disciples  what  He  should  suffer  there : 
"  Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  Son  of  man 
.^hall  be  delivered  unto  the  chief  prirsts  and  scribes, 
and  they  shall  condemn  Him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        413 

Him  unto  the  Gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to 
crucify"  (Matt  xx.  18,  19;  see  also  Mark  x.  33,  and 
Luke  xviii.  32).  Long  before  this,  indeed,  "  He  came 
unto  His  own,  and  His  own  received  Him  not."  With 
the  sorrow  of  that  rejection  He  was  only  too  familiar  ; 
but  it  was  a  new  heart-break  to  be  delivered  up  to  the 
Gentiles.  It  was  a  second  betrayal  on  a  much  larger 
scale.  So  Stephen  puts  it  in  the  impassi;  ned  close 
of  his  defence,  where  he  charges  the  council  with  being 
"  the  betrayers  and  murderers  "  of  "  the  Just  One  "  ;  and 
indeed  the  thought  is  suggested  here,  not  only  by  the 
association  with  what  follows  in  regard  to  the  traitor's 
end,  but  by  the  use  of  the  very  same  word  as  applied 
to  the  traitor's  act ;  for  the  word  translated  "  betrayed  " 
in  verse  3  is  the  very  same  in  the  original  as  that 
translated  "  delivered  up  "  inverse  2.  Judas  is  about 
to  drop  out  of  sight  into  the  abyss ;  but  the  nation  is 
one  Judas  now. 

It  may  be,  indeed,  that  it  was  the  seeing  of  his  own 
sin  as  mirrored  in  the  conduct  of  the  council  which 
roused  at  last  the  traitor's  sleeping  conscience.  As  he 
saw  his  late  Master  led  away  bound,  "  as  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter,"  these  very  words  may  have  come  back  to 
his  memory :  "  They  shall  deliver  the  Son  of  man  to 
the  Gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to  crucify." 
It  is  quite  possible,  indeed,  that  the  man  of  Kerioth  was 
too  good  a  Jew  to  have  been  willing  to  sell  his  Master 
to  Pilate  directly.  But  now  he  sees  that  that  is  just 
what  he  has  done.  We  have  no  sympathy  with  those 
who  imagine  that  Judas  only  intended  to  give  his 
Master  an  opportunity  of  displaying  His  power  and 
asserting  His  rights  in  a  manner  that  would  secure 
at  once  the  allegiance  of  the  people ;  but  though  we  see 


4^4  THE  GOiPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

no  evidence  of  any  good  intentions,  we  can  readily 
believe  that  in  the  act  of  betrayal  his  mind  did  not  go 
beyond  the  immediate  consequences  of  his  action — on 
the  one  hand  the  money ;  and  on  the  other  what  was  it 
but  the  handing  of  his  Master  to  the  chief  priests  and 
elders,  who  were  after  all  His  ecclesiastical  superiors ; 
and  had  they  not  the  right  to  put  Him  on  His  trial  ? 
But  now  that  he  sees  Jesus,  Whom  by  long  acquaint- 
ance he  knows  to  be  without  spot  or  stain,  bound  as 
a  common  criminal  and  led  away  to  execution,  his  act 
appears  in  a  new  and  awful  light,  he  is  smitten  with  a 
measureless  fear,  and  can  no  longer  bear  to  think  of 
what  he  has  done. 

"  He  repented  himself,"  so  we  read  in  our  version  ; 
but  that  it  is  no  true  repentance  the  more  expressive 
Greek  makes  plain,  for  the  word  is  quite  distinct  from 
that  which  indicates  "repentance  after  a  godly  sort." 
Had  there  been  in  his  heart  any  spring  of  true  repent- 
ance its  waters  would  have  been  unsealed  long  ere 
this — at  the  Table,  or  when  in  the  Garden  he  heard 
his  Master's  last  appeal  of  love.  Not  love,  but  fear, 
not  godly  sorrow,  but  very  human  terror,  is  what  moves 
him  now;  and  therefore  it  is  not  to  Jesus  that  he  flies — 
had  he  even  now  gone  up  to  Him,  and  fallen  at  His 
feet  and  confessed  his  sin,  he  would  have  been  forgiven 
—  but  to  his  accomplices  in  crime.  Fain  would  he 
undo  what  he  has  done;  but  it  is  impossible!  What 
he  can  do,  however,  he  will;  so  he  tries  to  get  the  chief 
priests  to  take  back  the  silver  pieces.  But  they  will 
have  nothing  to  do  with  them  or  with  him.  To  his 
piteous  confession  they  pay  no  heed  ;  let  him  settle 
his  own  accounts  with  his  own  conscience:  "What  is 
that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that." 

He  is  now  alone  ;  shut  up  to  himself;  alone  with  his 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.         415 

sin.  Even  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  which  had  such 
a  friendly  sound  as  he  first  dropped  them  in  his  purse, 
have  turned  against  him ;  now  he  hates  the  very  sight 
of  them,  and  must  be  rid  of  them.  As  the  priests  will 
not  take  them  back,  he  will  cast  them  "into  the 
sanctuary "  (R.V.),  and  so  perhaps  find  some  relief. 
But  oh,  Judas !  it  is  one  thing  to  get  the  silver  out 
of  your  hands,  and  quite  another  to  get  the  stain  out 
of  your  soul.  The  only  effect  of  it  is  to  make  the 
solitude  complete.  He  has  at  last  come  to  himself; 
and  what  a  self  it  is  to  come  to  1  No  wonder  that  he 
"went  and  hanged  himself." 

The  chief  priests  have  not  yet  come  to  themselves. 
They  will  by-and-by,  whether  after  the  manner  of  the 
prodigal  or  after  the  manner  of  the  traitor  time  will 
show ;  but  meanwhile  they  are  in  the  full  career  of 
their  sin,  and  can  therefore  as  yet  consult  to  very  good 
purpose.  It  was  not  at  all  a  bad  way  of  getting  out 
of  their  difficulty  with  the  money  found  in  the  sanctuary, 
to  buy  with  it  a  place  to  bury  strangers  in ;  but  little 
did  they  dream  that  when  the  story  of  it  should  be  told 
thereafter  to  the  world  they  would  be  discovered  to 
have  unconsciously  fulfilled  a  prophecy  (Zech.  xi.  12,  13), 
which  on  the  one  hand  gibbeted  their  crime  as  a  valuing 
of  the  Shepherd  of  Israel  at  the  magnificent  price  of 
thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  on  the  other  carried  with  it 
the  suggestion  of  those  awful  woes  which  Jeremiah  had 
pronounced  at  the  very  spot  they  had  purchased  with 
the  price  of  blood  (Jer.  xix.). 

From  the  end  of  the  traitor  Judas  we  return  to 
the  issue  of  the  nation's  treason.  "  Now  Jesus  stood 
before  the  governor."  The  full  study  of  Jesus  before 
Pilate   belongs   rather    to    the    fourth    Gospel,    which 


416  THE   GcSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

supplies  many  most  interesting  details  not  furnished 
here.  We  must  therefore  deal  with  it  quite  briefly, 
confining  our  attention  as  much  as  possible  to  the 
points  touched  in  the  record  before  us.* 

As  before  the  council,  so  before  Pilate,  our  Lord 
speaks,  or  is  silent,  according  as  the  question  affects 
His  mission  or  Himself.  When  asked  of  His  King- 
ship, He  answers  in  the  most  decided  manner  ("  Thou 
sayest "  was  a  strong  affirmation,  as  if  to  say  "  Certainly 
I  am  ") ;  for  on  this  depends  the  only  hope  of  salvation 
for  Pilate — for  His  accusers — for  all.  He  will  by  no 
means  disown  or  shrink  from  acknowledging  the  mission 
of  salvation  on  which  His  Father  has  sent  Him,  though 
it  may  raise  against  Him  the  cry  of  blasphemy  in  the 
council,  and  of  treason  in  the  court;  but  when  He 
is  asked  what  He  has  to  say  for  Himself,  in  the  way 
of  answer  to  the  charges  made   against   Him,   He  is 

*  It  is  most  instructive  at  this  point  to  note  the  extreme  conden- 
sation of  this  report  of  the  trial  before  Pilate.  This  is  especially 
noticeable  at  the  first  stage  of  the  trial.  In  the  fuller  reports  by 
St.  John  (xviii.  29-38)  we  find  indeed  the  question,  "  Art  thou  king 
of  the  Jews  ?  "  (v.  33),  and  the  answer,  "  Thou  sayest "  (v.  37);  but  how 
much  more  besides  1  So  is  it  beyond  question  in  many  other  places 
where  there  is  not  the  same  opportunity  of  supplying  what  has  been 
omitted.  If  this  were  always  borne  in  mind  in  reading  the  Gospels, 
we  should  avoid  many  difficulties,  which  have  often  needlessly  per- 
plexed the  best  of  people.  There  is  often  much  to  read  between 
the  lines,  and  not  only  so,  but  much  between  the  lines  we  cannot 
read,  the  knowledge  of  which  would  make  crooked  things  straight 
and  rough  places  plain.  The  difficulty  of  accurately  realising  a 
complex  scene  from  a  report  of  it  which,  however  accurate,  is  highly 
condensed,  ought  to  be  always  present  to  the  minds  of  readers  of 
the  Gospels,  and  ought  to  be  a  check  on  those  who  attribute  to  the 
"mistakes"  of  the  writers  what  in  all  probability  is  due  to  the 
ignorance  of  the  readers  ignorance,  it  may  be,  of  some  little  matter 
of  detail,  or  some  comparatively  unimportant  saying,  the  knowledge 
of  which  would  at  once  clear  up  a  difficulty  which  to  the  unaided 
imagination  may  appear  insoluble. 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        41? 

silent :  even  when  Pilate  himself  appeals  to  Him  in  the 
strongest  manner  to  say  something  in  His  own  defence, 
11  He  gave  him  no  answer,  not  even  to  one  word " 
(R.V.).  "  Insomuch  that  the  governor  marvelled 
greatly ; "  for  how  could  he  understand  ?  How  can 
a  cautious,  cunning,  time-serving  man  of  the  world 
understand  the  selflessness  of  the  Son  of  God  ? 

Pilate  had  no  personal  grudge  against  Jesus,  and  had 
sense  enough  to  recognise  at  once  that  the  claims  of 
Kinghood  advanced  by  his  prisoner  did  not  touch  the 
prerogatives  of  Caesar — had  penetration  also  to  see 
through  the  motives  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders 
(ver.  18),  and  therefore  was  not  at  all  disposed  to 
acquiesce  in  the  demand  made  on  him  for  a  summary 
condemnation.  Besides,  he  was  not  without  fears,  which 
inclined  him  to  the  side  of  justice.  He  was  evidently 
impressed  with  the  demeanour  of  his  prisoner.  This 
appears  even  in  the  brief  narrative  of  our  Evangelist ; 
but  it  comes  out  very  strikingly  in  the  fuller  record  of 
the  fourth  Gospel.  His  wife's  influence,  too,  was  used 
in  the  same  direction.  She  evidently  had  heard  some- 
thing about  Jesus,  and  had  taken  some  interest  in  Him, 
enough  to  reach  the  conviction  that  He  was  a  a  righteous 
man."  It  was  as  yet  quite  early  in  the  morning,  and 
she  may  not  have  known  till  after  her  husband  had 
gone  out  that  it  was  for  the  trial  of  Jesus  he  was 
summoned.  Having  had  uneasy  dreams,  in  which  the 
Man  Who  had  impressed  her  so  much  was  a  leading- 
figure,  it  was  natural  that  she  should  send  him  a  hasty 
message,  so  as  to  reach  him  "  while  he  was  sitting 
on  the  judgment  seat "  (R.V.).  This  message  would 
reinforce  his  fears,  and  increase  his  desire  to  deal 
justly  with  his  extraordinary  prisoner. 

On  the  other  hand,  Pilate  could  not  afford  to  refuse 

27 


418  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST   MATTHEW. 

point  blank  the  demand  of  the  Jewish  leaders.  He 
was  by, no  means  secure  in  his  seat.  There  had  been 
so  many  disturbances  under  his  administration,  as 
we  learn  from  contemporary  history,  that  his  recall, 
perhaps  something  more  serious  than  recall,  might  be 
expected  from  Rome,  if  he  should  again  get  into 
trouble  with  these  turbulent  Jews ;  so  he  did  not  dare 
to  run  the  risk  of  simply  doing  what  he  knew  was 
right.  Accordingly  he  tried  several  expedients,  as  we 
learn  from  the  other  accounts,  to  avoid  the  necessity 
of  pronouncing  sentence,  one  of  which  is  here  set  forth 
at  length  (ver.  15,  seq.),  probably  because  it  brings  into 
strong  relief  the  absolute  rejection  of  their  Messiah 
alike  by  the  rulers  and  by  the  people. 

It  was  a  most  ingenious  device,  and  affords  a 
striking  example  of  the  astuteness  of  the  procurator. 
Barabbas  may  have  had  some  following  in  his 
"  sedition  "  ;  but  evidently  he  was  no  popular  hero,  but 
a  vulgar  robber  or  bandit,  whose  release  was  not  at 
all  likely  to  be  clamoured  for  by  the  multitude  ;  and  it 
was  moreover  reasonably  to  be  expected  that  the  chief 
priests,  much  as  they  hated  Jesus,  would  be  ashamed 
to  even  hint  that  He  was  worse  than  this  wretched 
criminal.  But  he  did  not  know  how  deep  the  hatred 
was  with  which  he  had  to  deal.  "  He  knew  that  for 
envy  they  had  delivered  Him ; "  but  he  did  not  know 
that  at  the  root  of  that  envy  lay  the  conviction  that 
either  Jesus  must  perish  or  they  must.  They  felt  that 
He  was  "of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  evil,  and 
could  not  look  upon  iniquity  "  ;  and  inasmuch  as  they 
had  made  up  their  minds  to  keep  their  iniquity,  they 
must  get  rid  of  Him  ;  they  must  seal  up  these  eyes 
which  searched  them  through  and  through,  they 
must  sHer.ce  these  tones  which,  silvery  as  they  wen  , 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        419 


were  to  them  as  the  knell  of  judgment.  The}'  had 
no  liking  for  Barabbas,  and,  to  do  them  justice,  no 
sympathy  whatever  with  his  crimes ;  but  they  had  no 
reason  to  be  afraid  of  him  :  they  could  live,  though  he 
was  free.  It  must  have  been  a  hard  alternative  even 
for  them  ;  but  there  is  no  hesitation  about  it.  Them- 
selves and  their  emissaries  are  busy  among  the  mob, 
persuading  them  "  that  they  should  ask  Barabbas.  and 
destroy  Jesus." 

The  multitudes  are  only  too  easily  persuaded.  Not 
that  they  had  the  dark  envy,  or  anything  like  the 
rooted  hatred,  of  their  leaders ;  but  what  will  a  careless 
mob  not  be  prepared  to  do  when  excitement  prevails 
and  passions  are  inflamed?  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely 
that  some  of  the  same  people  who  followed  the 
multitude  in  shouting  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !  " 
only  five  days  before,  would  join  in  the  cry  which 
some  of  the  baser  sort  would  be  the  first  to  raise, 
"  Crucify  Him  !  crucify  Him  !  "  Those  who  know 
human  nature  best — at  its  basest,  as  in  the  hatred  of 
the  chief  priests  and  elders  ;  at  its  shallowest,  as  in  the 
passions  of  the  fickle  crowd — will  marvel  least  at  the 
wray  in  which  the  alternative  of  Pilate  was  received. 
There  is  no  touchstone  of  human  nature  like  the  cross 
of  Christ ;  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Holy  One  of 
God,  sin  is  forced,  as  it  were,  to  show  itself  in  all  its 
native  blackness  and  enormity ;  and  what  sin  is  there, 
however  small  it  seem  to  be,  which  if  allowed  to 
develop  its  latent  possibility  of  vileness,  would  not 
lead  on  to  this  very  choice — "Not  Jesus,  but  Bar- 
abbas"? 

And  Pilate,  you  may  wash  your  hands  before  the 
multitude,  and  say,  "  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of 
this  just   Person";  but  it  is  all  in  vain.     There  is  a 


420  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Searcher  of  hearts  Who  knows  you  through  and 
through.  "  See  ye  to  it,"  you  say ;  and  so  said  to 
Judas  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  using  the  very 
same  words.  But  both  they  and  you  must  see  to  that 
which  each  fain  would  put  aside  for  ever.  Ay,  and 
it  will  be  less  tolerable  for  you  and  for  them  than  even 
for  the  thoughtless  crowd  who  cry,  u  His  blood  be 
upon  us  and  on  our  children."  It  was  in  vain  to  ask 
of  people  like  these,  "What  shall  I  do,  then,  with 
Jesus  which  is  called  Christ  ?  "  There  was  only  one 
thing  to  do  :  the  thing  which  was  right.  Failing  to  do 
this,  you  had  no  alternative  but  to  share  in  the  sin  of 
all  the  rest.  Even  Pilate  must  take  a  side,  as  all  must 
do.  Neutrality  here  is  impossible.  Those  who  persist 
in  making  the  vain  attempt  will  find  themselves  at  last 
on  the  same  side  as  Pilate  took  when  he  "  released  unto 
them  Barabbas  ;  but  Jesus  he  scourged  and  delivered  to 
be  crucified." 

IV. — From  the  Third  to  the  Ninth  Hour 
(xxvii.  27-56). 

The  cool  of  the  morning  was  passing  into  the  heat  of 
the  day,  as  the  soldiers  took  Jesus  and  led  Him  away 
to  be  crucified ;  and  the  sun  was  at  the  same  angle  in 
the  western  sky  when  He  bowed  His  head  and  gave  up 
the  ghost.  In  the  six  hours  between  lay  the  crisis  of 
the  world  (see  John  xii.  31,  Greek):  its  judgment,  its 
salvation.  The  great  conflict  of  the  ages  is  concentrated 
in  these  hours  of  agony.  In  the  brief  record  of  them 
we  have  the  very  core  and  kernel  of  the  gospel  of 
"  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified." 

All  we  can  hope  to  do  is  to  find  some  point  of  view 
which  may  afford  a  general  survey  of  the  awful  scene ; 
and  such  point  of  observation  we  may  perhaps  discover 


XXVI. 


■xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        421 


in  the  thought  of  the  marvellous  significance  of  each 
detail  when  set  in  the  after  light  of  faith.  Most  of  the 
incidents  are  quite  simple  and  natural— what  might  in 
every  way  be  expected  as  concomitants  of  the  deed  of 
blood  which  darkened  the  day— and  yet  the  simplest  of 
them  is  charged  with  unexpected  meaning.  The  actors 
in  this  dark  scene  are  moved  by  the  basest  of  passions, 
are  destitute  of  the  smallest  gleam  of  insight  into  what 
is  passing;  and  yet,  in  saying  what  they  say  and  doing 
what  they  do,  they  declare  the  glory  of  the  Christ  of 
God  as  signally  as  if  they  were  saying  and  doing  all 
by  divine  direction.  In  more  senses  than  one  "  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

From  this  point  of  view  we  might  survey  all  the  four 
records  of  the  Crucifixion,  and  find  striking  illustrations 
of  our  thought  in  each  of  them.  As  a  specimen  of  this 
we  may  refer  in  passing  to  the  words  of  Pilate  recorded 
by  St.  John  alone:  "Behold  the  Man!"  and  again, 
"  Behold  your  King ! "  In  these  remarkable  utterances 
the  procurator  quite  unconsciously  furnishes  the  answer 
to  his  own  as  yet  unanswered  questions  (John  xviii.  38  ; 
Matt,  xxvii.  22),  and,  Balaam-like,  becomes  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  summoning  the  whole  world  to  admira- 
tion and  homage,  to  faith  and  obedience.  But  we  may 
not  extend  our  view  over  the  other  Gospels ;  it  will  be 
enough  to  glance  at  the  particulars  found  in  that  which 

lies  before  us. 

The  first  is  the  mockery  of  the  soldiers.  A  brutal 
set  they  must  have  been ;  and  their  treatment  of  their 
victim,  as  they  intended  it,  is  too  revolting  even  to 
think  of  in  detail.  Yet,  had  they  been  inspired  by  the 
loftiest  purpose,  and  been  able  to  look  into  the  meaning 
of  what  they  did  with  the  most  penetrating  insight,  they 
could  not  have  in  a  more  striking  manner  illustrated 


422  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 


the  true  glory  of  His  royalty.  Ah  !  soldiers,  you  may 
well  plait  that  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  on  His 
head  ;  for  He  is  the  Prince  of  Sufferers,  the  King  of 
Sorrow !  On  that  head  are  many  crowns — the  crown 
of  righteousness,  the  crown  of  heroism,  the  crown  of 
life;  but  of  them  all  the  very  best  is  the  crown  of 
thorns,  for  it  is  the  crown  of  Love. 

The  next  incident  is  the  impressing  of  Simon  of 
Cyrene  to  bear  His  cross.  It  was  intended  as  an 
insult.  The  service  was  too  degrading  even  for  any  of 
the  rabble  of  Jerusalem,  so  they  imposed  it  on  this  poor 
foreigner,  coming  out  of  the  country.  Little  did  they 
think  that  this  same  man  of  Cyrene,  who  probably  had 
provoked  them  by  showing  some  sympathy  with  the 
Sufferer,  and  might  by  no  means  grudge  the  toil, 
unjustly  forced  upon  him  though  it  was,  should  with 
his  two  sons  Alexander  and  Rufus  (see  Mark  xv.  21) 
be  a  kind  of  firstfruits  of  a  great  multitude  of  foreigners 
coming  out  of  all  countries,  who  should  consider  it 
the  highest  honour  of  their  lives  to  take  up  and  bear 
after  Jesus  the  cross  which  Simon  had  borne  for 
Him. 

The  very  name  Golgotha,  though  derived  in  all 
probability  from  the  natural  appearance  of  the  eminence 
on  which  the  crosses  were  erected,  has  a  certain  dreary 
appropriateness,  not  only  because  of  the  horror  of  the 
deed,  but  because  the  thought  is  suggested  that  death's 
Destroyer  gained  His  victory  on  death's  own  ground ; 
and  the  offering  of  the  potion  usually  given  to  deaden 
pain  gave  the  pale  sufferer  an  opportunity  of  showing 
by  His  refusal  of  it  that  not  only  was  the  death  which 
ended  all  a  voluntary  act,  but  that  each  pang  of  the 
passion  was  borne  in  the  resoluteness  of  a  love- 
constrained  will : 


xxvi.l-xxvii.s6.]    THE   GREaa    ^iONEMENT  DAY.        423 

"Thou  wilt  feel  all,  that  Thou  may'st  pity  all ; 
And  rather  wouldst  Thou  wrestle  with  strong  pain 

Than  overcloud  Thy  soul 

So  clear  in  agony. 
•  •  •  »  • 

O  most  entire  and  perfect  Sacrifice, 
Renewed  in  every  pulse, 

That  on  the  tedious  Cross 

Told  the  long  hours  of  death." 

The  dividing  of  the  garments  among  the  soldiers  was 
a  most  natural  and  ordinary  incident ;  it  would  seem,  in- 
deed, to  have  been  the  common  practice  at  crucifixions  ; 
and  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy  would  be  the  very  last 
thing  that  would  enter  the  men's  minds  as  they  did  it : 
even  St.  Matthew  himself,  in  recording  it,  does  not  view 
it  in  this  light;  for,  though  he  evidently  made  a  point 
of  calling  attention  to  all  fulfilments  of  prophecy  that 
struck  him,  he  seems  to  have  omitted  this  ;  *  yet  here 
again,  even  in  a  small  but  most  significant  matter  of 
detail,  as  recorded  by  St.  John  (xix.  23,  24),  the  Scrip- 
tures are  fulfilled. 

The  writing  on  the  cross  is  called  "  His  accusation." 
So  indeed  it  was  ;  for  it  was  for  this  he  was  condemned  : 
no  other  charge  could  be  made  good  against  Him.  But 
it  was  not  His  accusation  only, — it  was  His  coronation. 
In  vain  the  chief  priests  tried  to  induce  the  governor 
to  change  it.  "  What  I  have  written,  I  have  written," 
was  his  answer;  and  there  it  stood,  and  a  better  in- 
scription for  the  cross  the  apostles  themselves  could 
not  have  devised.  "  This  is  Jesus"  the  Saviour — the 
name  above  every  name.  How  it  must  have  cheered 
the  Saviour's  heart  to  know  that  it  was  there  !  "  This 
is  Jesus,  the  King"  never  more  truly  King  than  when 

*  The  reference  is  inserted  in  our  Authorised  Version,  but  without 
sufficient  authority.     The  Revised  Version  properly  omits  it 


424  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

this  writing  was  His  only  crown.  "This  is  Jesus,  the 
King  of  the  Jews"  despised  and  rejected  of  them  now, 
but  Son  of  David  none  the  less,  and  yet  to  be  claimed 
and  crowned,  and  rejoiced  in  when  at  last  "  all  Israel 
shall  be  saved."  Elsewhere  we  learn  that  the  inscrip- 
tion was  in  Hebrew  and  Greek  and  Latin, — the  first 
the  tongue  of  the  people  to  whose  keeping  had  been 
committed  the  oracles  of  God,  the  other  two  the  lan- 
guages in  which  God's  good  tidings  of  Life  through  a 
Crucified  Saviour  could  be  best  and  most  quickly  carried 
"to  every  creature," — as  if  to  make  the  proclamation 
worldwide. 

His  position  between  the  two  thieves  is  told  as 
simply  as  all  the  rest;  yet  how  full  of  meaning,  not 
only  as  fulfilling  the  Scripture  which  spoke  of  Him  as 
"numbered  with  the  transgressors,"  but  as  furnishing 
a  most  impressive  picture  of  the  Friend  of  Sinners, 
enduring  their  revilings,  and  yet  as  soon  as  one  of 
them  shows  the  first  signs  of  coming  to  a  better  mind, 
eagerly  granting  him  forgiveness  and  eternal  life,  and 
receiving  him  into  His  kingdom  as  the  firstfruits  of 
His  redeemed  ones. 

Again,  the  mocking  cries  of  the  passers-by  are 
exactly  what  was  to  be  expected  from  the  coarse 
natures  of  the  men ;  yet  each  one  of  them  when  seen 
in  the  after  light  of  faith  becomes  a  tribute  to  His 
praise.  As  an  illustration  of  this,  listen  to  the  cry 
which  comes  out  of  the  deepest  abyss  of  hatred. 
Hear  these  chief  priests  mocking  Him,  with  the  scribes 
and  elders.  With  bitter  taunt  they  say,  in  scorn,  "  He 
saved  others  ;  Himself  He  cannot  save."  With  bitter 
taunt?  In  scorn  ?  Ah,  "  fools  and  blind,"  you  little  know 
that  you  are  making  a  garland  of  imperishable  beauty  to 
wreathe  around  His  brow !     It  was  indeed  most  true. 


xxvi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        425 

It  was  because  He  saved  others  that  He  could  not 
save  Himself.  Were  He  willing  to  let  others  perish — 
were  He  willing  to  let  you  perish — He  would  this  very 
moment  save  Himself.  But  He  will  bear,  not  only  the 
cruel  nails  and  spear,  but  your  more  cruel  mockeries, 
rather  than  give  up  His  self-imposed  task  of  saving 
others  by  His  perfect  sacrifice  1 

It  is  high  noon  ;  but  there,  at  that  place  of  a  skull, 
a  deed  is  being  done,  from  which  the  sun  must  hide 
his  face  for  shame.  "  From  the  sixth  hour  there  was 
darkness  over  all  the  land  until  the  ninth  hour."  The 
simple-hearted  Evangelist  has  no  reflections  of  his  own 
to  offer ;  he  simply  records  the  well-remembered  fact, 
with  his  usual  reticence  of  feeling,  which  makes  the 
deep,  dread  meaning  of  it  only  more  impressive.  For 
there  is  not  only  darkness  over  all  the  land ;  there  is 
darkness  in  the  Sufferer's  soul.  The  agony  of  the 
Garden  is  on  Him  once  again.  He  sees  no  longer  the 
faces  of  the  crowd,  and  the  mocking  voices  are  now 
silent,  for  the  people  cannot  but  feel  the  solemnising 
effect  of  the  midday  gloom.  The  presence  of  man  is 
forgotten,  and  with  it  the  shame,  even  the  pain :  the 
Redeemer  of  the  world  is  again  alone  with  God. 

Alone  with  God,  and  the  sin  of  the  world  is  on  Him. 
"  He  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree," 
therefore  is  it  that  He  must  enter  even  into  the  very 
deepest  darkness  of  the  soul,  the  feeling  of  separation 
from  God,  the  sense  of  forsakenness,  which  is  so 
appalling  to  the  awakened  sinner,  and  which  even  the 
sinless  One  must  taste,  because  of  the  burden  laid  upon 
Him.  To  Him  it  was  a  pang  beyond  all  others,  forcing 
from  these  silent  lips  the  lamentable  cry,  "  My  God, 
My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  "  There  is  no 
reason  indeed  to  suppose  that  the  Sufferer  was  really 


426  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

forsaken  by  God,  even  for  a  moment.  Never  was  the 
love  of  the  Father  deeper  and  stronger  than  when  His 
Son  was  offering  up  the  all-atoning  sacrifice.  Never 
was  the  repeated  testimony  more  sure  than  now — 
"  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased." 
But  none  the  less  was  there  the  sense  of  forsakenness. 

This  sense  of  forsakenness  seems  to  have  had  some 
mysterious  connection  with  the  pains  of  death.  In  the 
Garden,  where  the  experience  was  similar,  He  said,  "My 
soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death"  and  now 
that  death  is  on  Him,  now  that  His  human  spirit  is  about 
to  sink  into  the  unknown  abyss,  now  that  darkness  is 
closing  over  Him  on  every  side,  He  feels  as  if  He  were 
forsaken  utterly  :  yet  His  faith  fails  not ;  perhaps  He 
thinks  of  the  words,  "Yea  the  darkness  hideth  not 
from  Thee ;  but  the  night  shineth  as  the  day :  the 
darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike  to  Thee,"  and 
though  He  cannot  now  say  "  Father  "  even,  He  can  at 
least  cry  as  from  the  depths,  His  spirit  overwhelmed 
within  Him,  "  My  God,  My  God."  That  22nd  Psalm 
which  was  certainly  in  His  mind  must  have  suggested 
thoughts  of  hope  and  strength,  and  ere  His  spirit 
leaves  the  tortured  body  He  has  reached  the  trium- 
phant close  of  it ;  for  as  its  opening  utterance  became 
His  cry  of  agony,  its  closing  word  suggests  His 
shout  of  victory.  The  shout  is  mentioned  by  St. 
Matthew;  the  words  we  learn  from  St.  John:  "It  is 
finished." 

From  the  sixth  hour  to  the  ninth  the  darkness 
lasted,  and  at  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  yielded  up  the 
ghost.  The  agony  is  over.  The  feeling  of  separation, 
of  utter  loneliness,  is  gone,  for  the  last  word  has  been, 
"  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  My  Spirit " ;  and 
as  the  spirit  of  the  Son  of  man  returns  to  the  Father's 


xx vi.  i-xxvii.  56.]    THE   GREAT  ATONEMENT  DAY.        427 

bosom,  the  gloom  is  gone,  and  the  sun  shines  out  again 
upon  the  earth. 

How  appropriate  the  rending  of  the  veil,*  the 
quaking  of  the  earth,  the  shuddering  of  the  graves, 
and  the  visitants  from  the  realm  of  the  unseen  greet- 
ing the  eyes  of  those  for  whom  heaven  was  opened 
now,  is  all  so  plain  in  the  light  of  faith  on  the  Son  of 
God  that  it  needs  no  pointing  out.  It  was  no  wonder 
that  even  the  Roman  centurion,  unaccustomed  as  he 
was  to  think  of  such  things,  could  not  refrain  from 
exclaiming,  "  Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God."  Much 
more  may  we  echo  his  exclamation  when  in  the  light 
of  the  glory  that  has  followed  we  look  back  on  "  the 
things  that  were  done."  Recall  them, — the  crown  of 
thorns,  the  cross-bearing  of  Simon,  the  place  of  a 
skull,  the  parting  of  the  garments,  the  writing  on  the 
cross,  the  company  of  the  thieves,  the  mockeries  of 
the  people,  the  darkness  of  the  heavens,  the  shaking 
of  the  earth,  the  rending  of  the  veil, — is  there  not 
profound  meaning  in  it  all  ? 

The  portents  at  the  close,  as  was  natural,  impressed 
the  centurion  most;  but  these  are  just  what  make  the 
least  impression  now,  because  we  do  not  see  them,  and 
those  for  whom  no  veil  has  been  rent  by  the  Saviour's 
sacrifice  cannot  be  expected  to  recognise  them.  But 
think  of  the  other  incidents — incidents  to  which  not 
even  the  most  sceptical  can  attach  a  shadow  of  doubt : 
observe  how  utterly  unconscious  the  actors  were — the 
soldiers  in  plaiting  the  crown  of  thorns,  Pilate  in 
writing  His  title,  the  chief  priests  in  shouting  "He 
saved  others;  Himself  He  cannot  save" — and  yet  how 
these  all,  viewed  in  a  light  that  did  not  shine  for  them, 

*  "From  the  top  to  the  bottom," — rent,  therefore,  by  no  human 
hand. 


428  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

are  seen  to  have  vied  with  each  other  in  setting  forth 
His  glory  as  the  Saviour-King ;  and  then  say  whether 
it  could  all  have  been  the  merest  chance,  whether  there 
be  not  in  it  manifestly  "  the  determinate  counsel  and 
foreknowledge  of  God/'  whether  it  is  possible  to  escape 
the  conviction  of  the  Roman  centurion,  u  Truly  this  is 
the  Son  of  God  1 " 

The  reference  to  the  "many  women,"  "beholding 
afar  off,"  forms  a  pathetic  close  to  the  story  of  the 
Great  Atonement  Day. 


XX. 

THE   THIRD  DAY. 
Matt,  xxvii.  57 — xxviii.  15. 

NOW  that  the  atoning  work  of  Christ  is  finished, 
the  story  proceeds  with  rapidity  to  its  close.  It 
was  the  woi  k  of  the  Evangelist  to  give  the  history  of 
the  incarnate  Son  of  God  ;  and  now  that  the  flesh  is  laid 
aside,  it  is  necessary  only  to  give  such  notes  of  subse- 
quent events  as  shall  preserve  the  continuity  between 
the  prophetic  and  priestly  work  of  Christ  on  earth 
which  it  had  been  His  vocation  to  describe,  and  the 
royal  wrork  which,  as  exalted  Prince  and  Saviour,  it 
still  remained  for  Him  to  do.  We  need  not  wonder, 
then,  that  the  record  of  the  three  days  should  be  quite 
brief,  and  of  the  forty  days  briefer  still. 

This  brevity  is  a  note  of  truthfulness.  The  old  idea 
of  deliberate  falsehood  having  been  quite  given  up, 
reliance  is  placed,  by  those  who  wish  to  discredit  the 
gospel  witnesses,  on  the  suggestion  that  the  records  of 
the  resurrection  are  the  result  of  fancy  crystallising  into 
so-called  fact.  But  not  only  was  there  no  time, 
between  the  death  of  Christ  and  the  latest  date  which 
can  be  assigned  for  the  writing  of  the  first  Gospel,  for 
the  process  of  crystallisation,  but  had  there  been  such 
a  process,  the  result  would  have  been  very  different. 
Had  fancy,  and  not  observation,  been  the  source,  how 
comes  it  that  nothing  is  told  but  what  came  within  the 


43°  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

range  of  actual  vision  ?  Why  is  there  not  a  word 
about  Christ's  entry  into  Paradise,  or  descent  into 
Hades  ?  What  a  fruitful  field  for  fancy  here  ! — yet 
there  is  not  even  a  hint;  for  it  is  not  from  anything  in 
the  Gospels,  but  solely  from  a  passage  in  one  of  the 
Epistles,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  descent  into  Hades 
has  been  derived.  There  is  not  a  word  or  a  hint  of 
anything  that  passed  in  the  unseen;  a  plain  statement 
of  what  was  done  with  the  body  of  Jesus  is  absolutely 
all.  Clearly  it  is  not  myth,  but  his:ory,  with  which 
here  we  have  to  do. 

The  Evening  of  the  First  Day  (vv.  57-61). 

Day  was  passing  into  evening  when  Jesus  "  yielded 
up  His  spirit "  ;  for  the  early  evening  according  to  the 
Jewish  reckoning  began  at  the  ninth  hour.  It  was 
probably  some  time  after  this — perhaps  towards  the 
later  evening,  which  began  about  the  twelfth  hour 
(six  o'clock) — that  Joseph  of  Arimathsea  thought  of 
claiming  the  body  to  give  it  honourable  burial.  Why 
should  such  a  duty  have  fallen  to  a  stranger  ?  Where 
were  the  eleven  ?  Had  none  of  them  so  far  recovered 
from  their  fear  ?  Where  was  Peter  ?  might  not  his 
penitence  for  the  past  have  impelled  him  to  come 
forward  now  ?  Where  was  John  ?  He  had  taken  the 
mother  of  Jesus  to  his  own  home ;  but  why  did  he  not 
come  back  to  see  what  he  could  do  for  the  sacred 
body  ?  How  can  they  all  leave  this  tender  office  to 
a  stranger? 

It  may  be  thought  by  some  sufficient  answer  simply 
to  say,  So  the  Lord  willed  it,  and  so  the  Sci 'pture  was 
fulfilled  which  intimated  that  He  Who  had  died  with 
the  wicked  should  be  "with  the  rich  in  His  death"; 
but  is  there  not  more  than  this  to  be  said  ?     Is  not  the 


xxvii.  57-xxviii.  15.]      THE    THIRD  DAY.  431 

disappearance  of  the  eleven  and  the  coming  forward  of 
the  two  secret  disciples  (for  as  we  learn  from  the  fourth 
Gospel,  Nicodemus — another  secret  disciple — appears 
a  little  later  on  the  scene)  true  to  human  nature  ?  Let 
us  remember  that  the  faith  of  the  eleven,  while  much 
superior  to  that  of  the  two,  was  from  the  nature  of  the 
case  exposed  to  a  counter-current  of  feeling,  of  which 
neither  Joseph  nor  Nicodemus  could  know  anything. 
They  had  committed  themselves  and  their  all  to  Jesus, 
as  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  had  never  done.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  when  the  terrible  tempest  broke  on 
Him,  it  came  with  all  its  force  on  them  too.  But 
Joseph  and  Nicodemus  had  not  as  yet  ventured  their 
all — had  not,  it  would  appear,  as  yet  ventured  anything 
for  Christ.  They  were  looking  on  at  the  storm,  as 
it  were,  from  the  shore ;  so  they  could  stand  it,  as 
those  who  were  in  the  very  midst  of  it  could  not. 
They  could  stand  beholding.  Not  having  made  them- 
selves known,  they  were  not  exposed  to  personal 
danger,  hence  were  in  a  position  calmly  and  thought- 
fully to  watch  the  progress  of  events.  We  can  imagine 
them  first  looking  towards  Calvary  from  afar,  and  then, 
as  the  darkness  favoured  a  timid  approach,  drawing 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  at  last  coming  within  the  spell 
of  the  Divine  Sufferer.  As  they  witnessed  His  patient 
endurance,  they  would  become  more  and  more  ashamed 
of  their  half-hearted  sympathy,  ashamed  to  think  thnt 
though  they  had  not  consented  to  the  counsel  and  deed 
of  the  rest  (Luke  xxiii.  51 ;  John  vii.  50,  51),  they  had 
not  had  courage  to  offer  any  serious  opposition.  They 
would  feel,  as  they  thought  of  this,  as  if  they  shared 
the  responsibility  of  what  must  now  appear  to  them  an 
awful  crime  ;  and  so,  looking  to  Him  whom  they  had 
pierced,   they  would   mourn  ;  and,   brought  at  last  to 


43*  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

decision  by  His  death  (John  xii.  32),  first  Joseph,  and 
after  him  Nicodemus,  came  out  boldly,  the  one  asking 
for  the  body  of  Jesus,  the  other  joining  him  in  those 
tender  and  reverent  ministrations  which  all  that  was 
best  in  them  now  constrained  them  to  render. 

The  sad  duty  hastily  but  tenderly  and  fitly  done,  a 
great  stone  is  rolled  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  and 
they  depart.  But  the  sepulchre  is  not  deserted  yet. 
What  are  these  figures  in  the  dusk,  these  women  that 
advance  as  the  others  retire?  While  the  two  men 
were  busy  they  have  been  keeping  at  a  discreet  and 
respectful  distance ;  but  now  that  all  is  silent  at  the 
tomb,  they  draw  nearer,  and  though  night  is  coming  on 
apace,  they  cannot  leave  it,  and  the  story  of  the  long 
day  ends  with  this  pathetic  touch:  "And  Mary 
Magdalene  was  there,  and  the  other  Mary,  sitting  over 
against  the  sepulchre." 

The  Second  Day  (vv.  62-66). 

It  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath.  The  Evangelist  for 
some  reason  avoids  the  common  designation,  preferring 
to  speak  of  it  as  "  the  day  after  the  preparation " — 
whether  it  was  that  he  shrank  from  mentioning  the 
Sabbath  in  such  a  connection,  or  whether  it  was  that 
the  great  event  of  the  preparation  day  had  such  com- 
plete possession  of  his  mind  that  he  must  date  from 
it,  we  shall  not  attempt  to  decide. 

This  is  the  only  record  we  have  of  that  Sabbath  day 
except  that  St.  Luke  tells  us  that  on  it  the  women 
"rested  according  to  the  commandment."  But  the 
enemies  of  Jesus  could  not  rest.  They  were  uneasy 
and  troubled  now  that  the  deed  was  done.  They  could 
not  but  have  been  impressed  with  the  bearing  of  their 
Victim,  and  with   all  the  portents  which  accompanied 


xxvii.  57-xxviii.  15.J      THE   THIRD  DAY,  433 

His  end.  It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  words  of  His, 
which  when  reported  to  them  before  had  not  seemed 
worth  noticing,  should  come  back  to  them  now  with 
fateful  force.  "After  three  days  I  will  rise  again"  was 
what  He  had  often  said.  "  What  if  He  should  rise  ? 
we  must  see  that  He  does  not."  It  would  never  do, 
however,  to  confess  to  such  a  fear ;  but  they  may  get 
all  needful  precautions  taken  by  suggesting  that  there 
was  danger  of  the  disciples  stealing  the  body,  and 
then  saying  that  He  had  risen.  On  this  pretext  they 
get  a  guard  from  Pilate,  and  authority  to  seal  the 
sepulchre.  Having  thus  made  all  secure,  they  can 
sleep  in  peace. 

The  Morning  of  the  Third  Day  (xxviii.  I- 1 5). 

The  women,  having  rested  on  the  Sabbath  according 
to  the  commandment,  knew  nothing  of  what  had  been 
done  at  the  tomb  that  day,  so,  as  they  set  out  before 
daybreak  on  the  third  morning,  they  only  thought  of 
the  great  stone,  and  wondered  how  it  could  be  rolled 
away ;  but  when  they  came,  the  sun  just  rising  as  they 
reached  the  spot,  they  found  the  stone  already  rolled 
away,  and  an  angel  of  the  Lord  at  the  tomb,  so  lustrous 
in  the  livery  of  heaven  that  the  keepers  had  quailed  in 
his  presence  and  were  powerless  to  interfere.  The  awe 
with  which  the  sight  would  naturally  inspire  the  women 
also  was  mingled  with  joy  as  they  heard  his  kindly 
greeting  and  sympathetic  words.  Altogether  worthy  of 
an  angel  from  heaven  are  the  words  he  is  reported  to 
have  spoken.  There  is  first  the  tender  response  to 
their  looks  of  dread — "  Fear  not  ye,"  as  if  to  say,  These 
others  well  may  fear,  for  there  is  nothing  in  common 
between  them  and  me;  but  with  you  it  is  different: 
11 1  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  Which  was  crucified." 

28 


434  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Then  there  is  the  joyful  news  :  "  He  is  not  here ;  for  He 
is  risen,  as  He  said  : "  and  as  he  observes  their  look  of 
half-incredulous  wonder  he  kindly  adds,  to  let  their 
sight  be  helper  to  their  faith,  u  Come,  see  the  place 
where  the  Lord  lay."  Then  he  gives  them  the  honour 
of  carrying  the  glad  tidings  to  the  other  disciples,  and 
assuring  them  that  the  Divine  Shepherd  will  meet  them 
all  in  Galilee  according  to  His  word. 

At  this  point  we  encounter  one  of  the  chief  difficulties 
to  be  found  in  St.  Matthew's  record  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. There  are  indeed  several  particulars  in  this 
Gospel,  as  well  as  in  the  others,  which  it  is  difficult  to 
fit  into  a  connected  account  embracing  all  the  facts; 
but  as  every  person  of  even  moderate  intelligence 
knows  that  the  same  difficulty  is  met  in  comparing 
various  truthful  accounts  of  any  great  event  in  which 
details  are  many  and  complex,  it  is  only  the  most 
unreasoning  prejudice  that  can  find  in  this  an  excuse 
for  doubting  the  credibility  of  the  writers.  Rather  is 
this  feature  of  the  records  a  distinct  note  of  truthful- 
ness; for,  had  it  been  easy  to  fit  each  fact  into  its 
exact  place  in  all  the  other  accounts,  we  should  have 
heard  from  the  very  same  doubters,  and  with  far 
better  reason,  that  there  was  every  sign  of  its  being  a 
made-up  story.  All  the  four  accounts  are  brief  and 
fragmentary;  there  is  evidently  no  attempt  whatever  to 
relate  all  that  took  place,  and  we  should  need  to  know 
all  in  order  to  form  a  complete  picture  of  the  entire 
series  of  events  which  glorified  the  first  Easter  Day. 
We  must  therefore  be  content  with  the  four  vivid 
pictures  given  us,  without  insisting  on  what  with  our 
imperfect  knowledge  is  perhaps  the  impossible  task  of 
so  combining  them  as  to  have  one  great  canvas 
embracing  all  the  details  in  each  of  the  four. 


jucvii.  57-xxviii.  15.]       THE    THIRD  DA  Y.  435 

The  account  before  us  is  the  briefest  of  all,  and 
therefore  it  would  be  especially  out  of  place  in  dealing 
with  this  Gospel  to  attempt  to  fill  up  the  blanks  and 
construct  a  consecutive  history  of  all  that  took  place 
en  that  eventful  day.  But  there  is  one  point  with 
which  it  is  especially  necessary  to  deal  in  considering 
St.  Matthew's  account  of  the  resurrection — viz.,  the 
prominence  given  to  the  appearance  of  the  Lord  to  His 
disciples  in  Galilee — whereas  in  the  fuller  records  of 
the  third  and  fourth  Gospels,  not  Galilee,  but  Jerusalem 
and  its  vicinity,  is  the  region  where  He  makes  Himself 
known. 

Those  who  are  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  this 
difficulty  are  much  disappointed  to  find  the  ninth  verse 
in  their  way.  Wishing  to  prove  a  sharp  contradiction, 
as  if  the  one  said  the  Lord  appeared  only  in  Galilee, 
and  the  other  that  He  appeared  only  in  Jerusalem  and 
its  neighbourhood,  they  are  naturally  vexed  to  find  one 
of  the  Jerusalem  appearances  actually  mentioned  here. 
The  attempt  has  accordingly  been  made  to  discredit  it ; 
but  in  vain.  It  stands  there  an  unquestionable  part 
of  the  original  text.  So  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
St.  Matthew  not  only  does  not  assert  that  it  was  only 
in  Galilee  that  our  Lord  appeared,  but  he  expressly 
mentions  one  appearance  in  Jerusalem.  On  the  other 
hand,  while  St.  Mark  mentions  no  appearance  in  Galilee, 
he  does  mention  the  Lord's  promise  to  meet  His 
disciples  there,  and  leaves  it  distinctly  to  be  inferred 
that  it  was  fulfilled.  St.  Luke,  indeed,  makes  no  mention 
of  Galilee  at  all ;  but  there  is  abundance  of  room  for  it : 
for  while  he  occupies  almost  all  his  space  with  the 
record  of  one  day,  he  tells  us  in  the  beginning  of  his 
second  volume  (Acts  i.  3)  that  Christ  "showed  Him- 
self alive  after  His  passion  by  many  infallible  proofs, 


436  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

being  seen  of  them  forty  days,  and  speaking  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God."  St.  John  also 
confines  himself  to  what  took  place  at  Jerusalem  ;  but 
in  the  interesting  appendix  to  that  Gospel  there  is  a 
striking  account  of  a  meeting  with  the  eleven  in  Galilee 
— evidently  not  the  same  one  which  is  recorded  here, 
but  another  of  the  same,  affording  one  more  specimen 
of  meetings  which  were  no  doubt  frequently  repeated 
during  the  forty  days.  It  is  abundantly  evident,  there- 
fore, that  there  is  no  contradiction  whatever. 

Still  the  question  remains,  Why  does  St.  Matthew 
make  so  little  of  what  the  others  make  so  much  of,  and 
so  much  of  what  the  others  make  so  little  of?  In 
answer  we  might  first  ask  whether  this  was  not  in 
every  way  to  be  expected  and  desired.  If,  as  evidently 
was  the  case,  there  were  manifestations  of  the  risen 
Lord  both  in  the  south  and  in  the  north,  and  if  we 
were  to  have  several  accounts,  was  it  not  desirable 
that  one  at  least  should  make  it  his  specialty  to  bring 
into  prominence  the  appearances  in  the  north  ?  And 
if  so,  who  could  do  it  more  appropriately  than  Matthew 
the  publican  of  Galilee  ?  The  favour  shown  his  own 
northern  land  had  most  deeply  impressed  his  mind. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  he  passed  over  entirely 
the  early  Judsean  ministry  recorded  by  St.  John,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  Galilean  ministry  as  the  dawning  of  the 
new  Day  according  to  the  words  of  ancient  prophecy 
(Matt.  iv.  14-16). 

Furthermore,  there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that 
it  was  not  till  they  met  in  Galilee  that  the  scattered 
flock  of  the  disciples  was  gathered  all  together.  The 
appearances  in  Jerusalem  were  to  individuals  and  to 
little  companies ;  whereas  in  Galilee  it  would  seem 
that  He  appeared  to  as  many  as  five  hundred  at  once 


xxvii.  57-xxviii.  15.]      THE   THIRD  DAY.  437 

(1  Cor.  xv.  6)  ;  and  though  the  Lord  appeared  to  the  ten 
(Thomas  being  absent),  and  again  to  the  eleven,  before 
they  left  Jerusalem,  it  is  not  to  these  occasions,  but 
rather  to  the  meeting  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  that  we 
look  for  their  fresh  commission  to  address  themselves 
again  to  their  work  as  fishers  of  men.  This  will  appear 
more  clearly  if  we  bear  in  mind  our  Lord's  sad  refer- 
ence, as  the  crisis  approached,  to  the  scattering  of  the 
flock,  and  His  promise  that  after  He  had  risen  again 
He  would  go  before  them  into  Galilee  (Matt.  xxvi. 
31,  32).  We  have  here,  then  (ver.  7),  a  repetition  of  the 
same  promise,  "  He  goeth  before  you  "  (as  the  shepherd 
goes  before  his  flock)  "into  Galilee,"  where  all  the 
scattered  ones  shall  be  gathered  round  the  Shepherd 
once  again,  and  thence  sent  out  as  under-shepherds 
(see  John  xxi.  15-17),  to  gather  in  the  rest  of  the  flock 
that  are  scattered  abroad. 

The  conduct  of  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  (vv.  1 1-15) 
is  the  natural  sequel  of  their  futile  attempt  to  seal  the 
sepulchre.  It  is  in  vain  to  raise  the  objection,  as  some 
do,  that  it  was  too  clumsy  a  device  for  men  so  astute  ; 
for  what  else  could  they  do?  It  was  indeed  a  poor 
evasion  ;  but,  baffled  as  they  were,  no  better  was 
possible  for  them.  Let  the  critic  say  what  better  ex- 
pedient they  could  have  thought  of,  before  he  assigns 
its  poverty  as  a  reason  for  discrediting  the  story.  That 
St.  Matthew,  and  he  alone,  records  it,  is  sufficiently 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that,  his  being  the  first  written 
Gospel,  and  moreover  the  Gospel  for  the  Jew,  it  behoved 
him  to  deal  with  a  saying  '*  commonly  reported  among 
the  Jews  until  this  day  "  ;  while  its  being  recorded  by 
him  was  a  sufficient  reason  why  no  further  notice  should 
be  taken  of  it,  when  there  was  so  much  of  greater 
importance  to  telL 


438  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

Looking  back  on  this  very  brief  record  of  the  great 
events  of  Easter  Day,  nothing  is  more  striking  than  the 
prominence  of  the  women  throughout.  It  is  a  note  of 
the  new  dispensation.  It  must  have  been  very  strange 
to  all  the  disciples,  and  not  least  to  the  author  of  this 
Gospel,  that  woman,  who  had  been  kept  so  far  in  the 
background,  treated  almost  as  if  her  presence  would 
pollute  the  sacred  places,  should,  now  that  the  veil  was 
rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to, the  bottom,  not  only  enter 
into  the  sacred  presence  of  the  risen  Lord  as  the  equal 
of  her  brother  man,  but  should  be  there  before  him, — 
that  a  woman's  eyes  should  be  the  first  to  see  Him,  a 
group  of  women  the  first  to  receive  His  loving  welcome 
and  to  fall  in  adoration  at  His  sacred  feet.  Yet  so  it 
was.  Not  that  there  was  any  partiality.  "  In  Christ 
Jesus  there  is  neither  male  nor  female."  It  is  not  a 
question  of  sex ;  it  is  a  question  of  love  and  faith ; 
and  it  was  because  the  love  of  these  women  was  deeper, 
and  their  fidelity  greater,  than  that  of  any  of  the  men, 
that  they  had  this  honour.  Had  the  love  of  John  been 
as  all-engrossing  as  that  of  Mary  of  Magdala,  he  would 
not  have  had  to  wait  for  the  Easter  tidings  till  she 
had  come  to  tell  him.  It  is  not  a  question  of  faith 
alone,  but  of  faith  and  love.  The  women's  faith  had 
failed  them  too.  It  was  with  no  hope  of  seeing  a  risen 
Lord  that  they  had  gone  to  the  tomb — it  was  with 
spices  to  finish  the  embalming  of  His  dead  body  ;  but 
their  love,  love  stronger  than  death,  even  in  the  wreck 
of  faith,  kept  them  near,  and  so  it  was  that,  when  light 
first  broke  from  out  the  darkness,  they  were  there 
to  see. 


XXI. 

THE  GOSPEL  FOR  ALL   THE  NATIONS  THROUGH 
11  ALL  THE  DA  YS.n 

Matt,  xxviii.  16-20. 

THIS  brief  concluding  passage  is  all  St.  Matthew 
gives  us  of  the  thirty-nine  days  which  followe'd 
the  Resurrection  and  preceded  the  Ascension.  It 
would  seem  as  if  he  fully  realised  that  the  manifesta- 
tions of  these  days  belonged  rather  to  the  heavenly 
than  to  the  earthly  work  of  Jesus,  and  that  therefore, 
properly  speaking,  they  did  not  fall  within  his  province. 
It  was  necessary  that  he  should  bear  witness  to  the 
fact  of  the  Resurrection,  and  that  he  should  clearly  set 
forth  the  authority  under  which  the  first  preachers  of 
the  gospel  acted.  Having  accomplished  both,  he  rests 
from  his  long  labour  of  love. 

That  the  commission  of  the  eleven  was  not  restricted 
to  this  particular  time  and  place  is  evident  from  notices 
in  the  other  Gospels  (Mark  xvi.  15;  Luke  xxiv.  48; 
John  xx.  21-23,  xxi.  15-17);  but  we  can  see  many 
reasons  why  this  occasion  was  preferred  to  all  others. 
We  have  already  seen  how  natural  it  was  that  St. 
Matthew  should  call  the  attention  of  his  readers  to  the 
appearances  of  the  risen  Lord  in  Galilee  rather  than  to 
those  in  Jerusalem  and  its  vicinity;  and  the  more  we 
think  of  it,  the  more  do  we  see  the  appropriateness  of 
his  singling  out   this   one  in   particular.     It  was  the 


440  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

only  formally  appointed  meeting  of  the  Lord  with  His 
disciples.  In  every  other  case  He  came  unannounced 
and  unexpected;  but  for  this  meeting  there  had  been  a 
distinct  and  definite  appointment. 

This  consideration  is  one  of  many  which  render  it 
probable  that  this  was  the  occasion  referred  to  by 
St.  Paul  when  our  Lord  was  seen  by  above  five  hundred 
brethren  at  once ;  for  on  the  one  hand  there  was 
nothing  but  a  definite  appointment  that  would  bring 
so  large  a  company  together  at  any  one  point,  and  on 
the  other  hand,  when  such  an  appointment  was  made, 
it  is  altogether  natural  to  suppose  that  the  news  of  it 
would  spread  far  and  wide,  and  bring  together,  not  the 
eleven  only,  but  disciples  from  all  parts  of  the  land, 
and  especially  from  Galilee,  where  the  greater  number 
of  them  would  no  doubt  reside.  That  St.  Matthew 
mentions  only  the  eleven  may  be  accounted  for  by  the 
object  he  has  in  view — viz.,  to  exhibit  their  apostolic 
credentials;  but  even  in  his  brief  narrative  there  is 
one  statement  which  is  most  easily  understood  on  the 
supposition  that  a  considerable  number  were  present. 
"Some  doubted,"  he  says.  This  would  seem  alto- 
gether natural  on  the  part  of  those  to  whom  this  was 
the  only  appearance ;  whereas  it  is  difficult  to  suppose 
that  any  of  the  eleven  could  doubt  after  what  the}'  had 
seen  and  heard  at  Jerusalem. 

In  any  case,  the  doubts  were  only  temporary,  and 
were  in  all  probability  connected  with  the  mode  of  His 
manifestation.  As  on  other  occasions,  of  which  par- 
ticulars are  given  in  other  Gospels,  the  Lord  would 
suddenly  appear  to  the  assembled  company ;  and  we 
can  well  understand  how,  when  first  His  form  was 
seen,  He  should  not  be  recognised  by  all;  so  that,  while 
all  would  be  solemnised,  and  bow  in  adoration,  some 


xzviii.  16-20.J  u ALL   THE  DAYS."  441 

might  not  be  a1  together  free  from  doubt.  But  the 
doubts  would  disappear  as  soon  as  "  He  opened  His 
mouth  and  taught  them/'  as  of  old.  To  make  these 
doubts,  as  some  do,  a  reason  for  discrediting  the 
testimony  of  all  is  surely  the  very  height  of  perversity. 
All  the  disciples  were  doubters  at  the  first.  But  they 
were  all  convinced  in  the  end.  And  the  very  fact  that 
it  was  so  hard  to  convince  them,  when  they  were  first 
confronted  with  so  unexpected  an  event  as  the  Lord's 
appearing  to  them  after  His  death,  gives  largely  in- 
creased value  to  their  unfaltering  certainty  ever  after- 
wards, through  all  the  persecution  and  sufferings,  even 
unto  death,  to  which  their  preaching  the  fact  of  the 
Resurrection  exposed  them. 

As  Galilee  was  the  most  convenient  place  *  for  a  large 
public  gathering  of  disciples,  so  a  mountain  was  the 
most  convenient  spot,  not  only  because  of  its  seclusion, 
but  because  it  would  give  the  best  opportunity  for  all 
to  see  and  hear.  What  mountain  it  was  we  can  only 
conjecture.  Perhaps  it  was  the  mount  on  which  the 
great  Sermon  was  delivered  which  gave  the  first 
outline  sketch  of  the  kingdom  now  to  be  formally 
established ;  perhaps  it  was  the  mount  which  had 
already  been  honoured  as  the  scene  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion ;  but  wherever  it  was,  the  associations  with  the 
former  mountain  scenes  in  Galilee  would  be  fresh  and 
strong  in  the  disciples'  minds. 

The  choice  of  a  mountain  in  the  north  was  moreover 
suitable  as  signalising  the  setting  aside  of  Mount  Zion 
and  Jerusalem  as  the  seat  of  empire.  From  this  point 
of  view  we  can  see  still  another  reason  why  St.  Matthew, 
the  Evangelist  for  the  Jew,  should  mention  the  formal 

*  The  number  at  Jerumlem  at  the  lime  cf  the  Ascension  was  only 
a  hundred  and  twenty  (Acts  i.  15). 


442  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

inauguration  of  the  new  kingdom  in  the  north.  The 
rejection  of  the  Messiah  by  His  own  people  had  gone 
very  deeply  to  the  heart  of  the  author  of  this  Gospel. 
He  certainly  never  obtrudes  his  feelings,  even  when 
they  are  strongest,  as  is  most  strikingly  apparent  in 
his  calm  record  of  the  Passion  itself;  but  there  are 
many  things  which  show  how  keenly  he  felt  on  this 
point.  Recall  how  he  tells  us  on  the  one  hand  that 
"  Herod  the  king  was  troubled,  and  all  Jerusalem  with 
him,"  when  the  report  was  spread  abroad  that  the 
Christ  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  on  the  other  that 
the  wise  men  from  the  East  "  rejoiced  with  exceeding 
great  joy."  Remember  how  he  speaks  of  "  Galilee  of 
the  Gentiles  "  as  rejoicing  in  the  great  light  which  had 
been  unnoticed  or  unwelcome  in  Jerusalem,  and  how 
he  calls  special  attention  to  "  the  coasts  of  Cesarea 
Philippi,"  the  utmost  corner  of  the  land,  as  the  place 
where  the  Church  was  founded.  And  now,  having 
recorded  the  Lord's  final  and  formal  entry  into  the 
ancient  capital  to  claim  the  throne  of  David,  only  to 
be  depised  and  rejected,  mocked  and  scourged  and 
crucified,  it  is  natural  that,  as  the  Evangelist  for  the 
Jew,  he  should  pass  away  from  what  he  often  fondly 
calls  "  the  holy  City,"  *  but  which  is  now  to  him  an 
accursed  place,  to  those  calm  regions  of  the  north 
which  were  associated  in  his  mind  with  the  first 
shining  of  the  light,  with  so  many  words  of  wisdom 
spoken  by  the  Lord,  with  the  doing  of  most  of  His 
mighty  deeds,  with  the  founding  of  the  Church,  and 
with  the  glory  of  the  Transfiguration. 

The  words  of  the  Lord  on  this  last  occasion  are 
worthy  of  all  that  has  gone  before.  Let  all  doubters 
ponder  well  the  significance  of  this.     Suppose  for  a 

*  St.  Matthew  alone  of  the  Evangelists  uses  this  designation. 


xxviii.  16-20.]  "ALL   THE  DAYS."  443 

moment  that  the  story  of  the  Resurrection  had  been 
only  "  the  passion  of  a  hallucinated  woman/'  as 
Renan  puts  it,  and  then  consider  the  position.  No 
one  of  course  denies  that  up  to  the  moment  of  death 
there  was  a  veritable  Jesus,  whose  sayings  and  doings 
supplied  the  material  for  the  history ;  but  now  that 
the  hero  is  dead  and  gone,  where  are  the  materials? 
The  fishermen  and  publicans  are  on  their  own  re- 
sources now.  They  have  to  make  everything  out  of 
nothing.  Surely,  therefore,  there  must  be  now  a  swift 
descent;  no  more  of  those  noble  utterances  to  which 
we  have  been  accustomed  hitherto — only  inventions  of 
the  poor  publican  now.  No  more  breadth  of  view — 
only  Jewish  narrowness  now.  It  was  about  this  very 
time  that  the  disciples  asked,  "  Lord,  wilt  Thou  at 
this  time  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ? "  Suppose, 
then,  these  men  obliged  themselves  to  invent  a  Great 
Commission,  how  narrow  and  provincial  will  it  be  ! 

Is  there,  then,  such  a  swift  descent?  Are  not  the 
reported  words  of  the  risen  Lord — not  in  this  Gospel 
merely,  but  in  all  the  Gospels — as  noble,  as  impressive, 
as  divine  as  any  that  have  been  preserved  to  us, 
from  the  years  of  His  life  in  the  flesh  ?  Search 
through  this  Gospel,  and  say  if  there  can  be  found 
anywhere  an  utterance  that  has  more  of  the  King  in  it, 
that  is  more  absolutely  free  from  all  Jewish  narrow- 
ness and  from  all  human  feebleness,  than  this  Great 
Commission  which  forms  its  magnificent  close.  It  is 
very  plain  that  these  simple  artists  have  their  subject 
still  before  them.  Manifestly  they  are  not  drawing  from 
imagination,  but  telling  what  they  heard  and  saw. 

There  is  an  unapproachable  majesty  in  the  words 
which  makes  one  shrink  from    touching  them.     They 


444  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

seem  to  rise  before  us  like  a  great  mountain  which 
it  would  be  presumption  to  attempt  to  scale.  What 
a  mighty  range  they  take,  up  to  heaven,  out  to  all  the 
earth,  down  to  the  end  of  time ! — and  all  so  calm, 
so  simple,  so  strong,  so  sure.  If,  as  He  finished  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  multitude  were  astonished, 
much  more  must  these  have  been  astonished  who  first 
listened  to  this  amazing  proclamation. 

"All  authority  hath  been  given  unto  Me  in  heaven 
and  on  earth  "  (R.V.).  What  words  are  these  to  come 
from  One  Who  has  just  been  put  to  death  for  claiming 
to  be  the  king  of  the  Jews  !  King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords  is  the  title  now  He  claims.  And  }'et  it  is 
as  Son  of  man  He  speaks.  He  does  not  speak  as 
God,  and  say,  "  All  authority  is  Mine  "  :  He  speaks  as 
the  man  Christ  Jesus,  saying,  "All  authority  has  been 
given  unto  Me" — given  as  the  purchase  of  His  pain: 
authority  in  heaven,  as  Priest  with  God — authority  on 
earth,  as  King  of  men. 

Having  thus  laid  broad  and  deep  and  strong  the 
foundations  of  the  new  kingdom,  He  sends  the  heralds 
forth  :  "  Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the 
nations,  baptising  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  teaching  them 
to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  i  commanded  you " 
(R.V,).  These  are  simple  words  and  very  familiar 
now,  and  a  distinct  effort  is  needed  to  realise  how 
extraordinary  they  are,  as  spoken  then  and  there  to 
that  little  company.  "All  nations"  are  to  be  discipled 
and  brought  under  His  sway, — such  is  the  commission  ; 
and  to  whom  is  it  given  ?  Net  to  Imperial  Caesar, 
with  his  legions  at  command  and  the  civilised  world  at 
his  feet ;  not  to  a  company  of  intellectual  giants,  who 
by  the   sheer  force  of  genius   might   turn  the  world 


rxviii.  16-20.]  "ALL   THE  DAYS?  445 

upside  down  ;  but  to  these  obscure  Galileans  of  whom 
Caesar  has  never  heard,  not  one  of  whose  names  has 
ever  been  pronounced  in  the  Roman  Senate,  who  have 
excited  no  wonder  either  for  intellect  or  learning  even 
in  the  villages  and  country-sides  from  which  they  come, 
— it  is  to  these  that  the  great  commission  is  given  to 
bring  the  world  to  the  feet  of  the  crucified  Nazarene. 
Imagine  a  nineteenth-century  critic  there,  and  listening. 
He  would  not  have  said  a  word.  It  would  have  been 
beneath  his  notice.  A  curl  of  the  lip  would  have  been 
all  the  recognition  he  would  have  deigned  to  give.  Yes, 
how  ludicrous  it  seems  in  the  light  of  reason !  But 
in  the  light  of  history  is  it  not  sublime? 

The  hidden  power  lay  in  the  conjunction :  "  Go  ye 
therefore?  It  would  have  been  the  height  of  folly  to 
have  gone  on  such  an  errand  in  their  own  strength  ; 
but  why  should  they  hesitate  to  go  in  the  name  and  at 
the  bidding  of  One  to  Whom  all  authority  had  been 
given  in  heaven  and  on  earth  ?  Yet  the  power  is  not 
delegated  to  them.  It  remains,  and  must  remain  with 
Him.  It  is  not,  "All  authority  is  given  unto  you? 
They  must  keep  in  closest  touch  with  Him,  wherever 
they  go  on  this  extraordinary  mission.  How  this  may 
be  will  presently  appear. 

The  two  branches  into  which  the  commission  divides 
— "  Baptising  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of 
the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  "Teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you  " — cor- 
respond to  the  twofold  authority  on  which  it  is  based. 
By  virtue  of  His  authority  in  heaven,  He  authorises 
His  ambassadors  to  baptise  people  of  all  nations  who 
shall  become  His  disciples  "  into  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Thus 
would  they  be  acknowledged  as  children  of  the  great 


44*  THE   GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW. 

family  of  God,  accepted  by  the  Father  as  washed  from 
sin  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son,  and 
sanctified  by  the  grace  of  His  Holy  Spirit — the  sum  of 
saving  truth  suggested  in  a  single  line.  In  the  same 
way  by  virtue  of  His  authority  on  earth,  He  authorises 
His  disciples  to  publish  His  commands  so  as  to  secure 
the  obedience  of  ali  the  nations,  and  yet  not  of  con- 
straint, but  willingly,  "  teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 

Easily  said ;  but  how  shall  it  be  done  ?  We  can 
imagine  the  feeling  of  bewilderment  and  helplessness 
with  which  the  disciples  would  listen  to  their  marching 
orders,  until  all  was  changed  by  the  simple  and  sublime 
assurance  at  the  close :  u  And  lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  This  assur- 
ance is  perhaps  the  strangest  part  of  all,  as  given  to 
a  company,  however  small,  who  were  to  be  scattered 
abroad  in  different  directions,  and  who  were  commis- 
sioned to  go  to  the  very  ends  of  the  earth.  How 
could  it  be  fulfilled  ?  There  is  nothing  in  St.  Matthew's 
narrative  to  explain  the  difficulty.  We  know,  indeed, 
from  other  sources  what  explains  it.  It  is  the  Ascen- 
sion— the  return  of  the  King  to  the  heaven  whence  He 
came,  to  resume  His  omnipresent  glory,  by  virtue  of 
which  alone  He  can  fulfil  the  promise  He  has  made. 

This  brings  us  to  a  question  of  considerable  im- 
portance :  Why  is  it  that  St.  Matthew  gives  no  record 
of  the  Ascension,  and  does  not  even  hint  what 
became  of  the  risen  Christ  after  this  last  recorded 
interview  with  His  disciples  ?  It  seems  to  us  that  a 
sufficient  reason  is  found  in  the  object  which  St. 
Matthew  had  in  view,  which  was  to  set  forth  the 
establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  upon  earth  as 
foretold  by  the  prophets  and  expected  by  the  saints  o/ 


xxviii.  16-20.]  "ALL    THE  DAYS."  447 

old ;  and  inasmuch  as  it  is  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth 
which  he  has  mainly  in  view,  he  does  not  call  special 
attention  to  His  return  to  heaven,  but  rather  to  that 
earthly  fact  which  was  the  glorious  result  of  it — viz., 
His  abiding  presence  with  His  people  on  the  earth. 
Had  he  finished  his  Gospel  with  the  Ascension,  the 
last  impression  left  on  the  readers  mind  would  have 
been  of  Christ  in  heaven  at  the  right  hand  of  God — a 
glorious  thought  indeed,  but  not  the  one  it  was  his 
special  aim  and  object  to  convey.  But,  concluding  as 
he  does,  the  last  impression  on  the  reader's  mind  is  of 
Christ  abiding  on  the  earth,  and  with  all  His  people 
even  to  the  end  of  the  world — a  most  cheering,  com- 
forting, and  stimulating  thought.  To  the  devout  reader 
of  this  Gospel  it  is  as  if  his  Lord  had  never  left  the 
earth  at  all,  but  had  suddenly  clothed  Himself  with 
omnipresence,  so  that,  however  far  apart  His  disciples 
might  be  scattered  in  His  service,  each  one  of  them 
might  at  any  moment  see  His  face,  and  hear  His  voice 
of  cheer,  and  feel  His  touch  of  sympathy,  and  draw 
on  His  reserve  of  power.  Thus  was  it  made  quite 
plain,  how  they  could  keep  in  closest  touch  wiih  Him 
to  Whom  was  given  all  authority  in  heaven  and  on 
earth. 

After  all,  is  it  quite  correct  to  say  that  St.  Matthew 
omits  the  Ascension  ?  What  was  the  Ascension  ? 
We  think  of  it  as  a  going  up;  but  that  is  to  speak 
of  it  after  the  manner  of  men.  In  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  there  is  no  geographical  u  up "  or  "  down." 
The  Ascension  really  meant  the  laying  aside  of  earthly 
limitations  and  the  resumption  of  divine  glory  with  its 
omnipresence  and  eternity ;  and  is  not  this  included  in 
these  closing  wTords  ?  May  we  not  fancy  one  of  these 
doubting  ones  (ver.   17),  who  trembled  in  the  presence 


448  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.   MATTHEW, 

of  that  Form  in  which  the  Lord  appeared  to  them  upon 
the  mount,  recalling  afterwards  the  supreme  moment 
when  the  words  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you/'  entered  into  his 
soul,  in  language  such  as  this : 

•*  Then  did  the  Form  expand,  expand— 
I  knew  Him  through  the  dread  disguise, 
As  the  whole  God  within  His  eyes 
Embraced  me  " — 

an  embrace  in  which  he  remained,  when  the  Form  had 
vanished. 

The  Ascension  is  all  in  that  wonderful  "  I  am."  It  is 
not  the  first  time  we  have  heard  it.  Among  His  last 
words  in  Capernaum,  when  the  Saviour  was  thinking 
of  His  Church  in  the  ages  to  come,  gathered  together 
in  companies  in  all  the  lands  where  disciples  should 
meet  in  His  name,  the  great  thought  takes  Him  for  the 
moment  out  of  the  limitations  of  His  earthly  life ;  it 
carries  Him  back,  or  rather  lifts  Him  up,  to  the  eternal 
sphere  from  which  He  has  come  to  earth,  so  that  He 
uses  not  the  future  of  time,  but  the  present  of  eternity : 
"  There  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them  "  (xviii.  20).  A  still 
more  striking  example  has  been  preserved  by  St.  John. 
When  on  one  occasion  He  spoke  of  Abraham  as  seeing 
His  day,  the  Jews  interrupted  Him  with  the  question, 
"Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  Thou 
seen  Abraham  ? "  .  Recognising  in  this  a  challenge  of 
His  relation  to  that  timeless,  dateless  sphere  from 
which  He  has  come,  He  promptly  replies,  u  Before 
Abraham    was,*    /   am."      It    is    as    if    a   foreigner, 

*The  full  significance  of  the  original  can  scarcely  be  given  in 
English.  The  Greek  language,  rich  in  the  vocabulary  of  philosophy, 
has  two  irerbs  corresponding  to  our  "to  be,"  one  indicating  pheno- 
menal, the  other  absolute  being.  It  is  the  former  which  is  used  oi 
Abraham;  the  latter  is  used  by  our  Lord  in  speaking  of  Himself. 
There  is,  therefore,  more  than  a  difference  of  tense. 


xxviii.  16-20.]  "ALL    THE  DAYS."  449 

speaking  perfectly  the  language  of  the  country  of  his 
adoption,  were  suddenly  betrayed  into  a  form  of  ex- 
pression which  marked  his  origin. 

That  was  a  momentary  relapse,  as  it  were,  into  the 
language  of  eternity ;  but  this  last  "  I  am  "  marks  a 
change  in  His  relations  to  His  disciples  :  it  is  the  note 
of  the  new  dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  These  forty 
days  were  a  transition  time  marked  by  special  manifes- 
tations— not  wholly  material  as  in  the  days  of  the 
Incarnation,  nor  wholly  spiritual  as  in  the  days  after 
Pentecost ;  but  on  the  borderland  between  the  two,  so 
as  to  prepare  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  disciples  for 
the  purely  spiritual  relation  which  was  thenceforward 
to  be  the  rule.  Whichever  appearance  was  the  last  to 
any  disciple  would  be  the  Ascension  to  him.  To  very 
many  in  that  large  gathering  this  would  be  the  Saviour's 
last  appearance.  It  was  in  all  probability  the  time 
when  the  great  majority  of  the  disciples  bade  farewell 
to  the  Form  of  their  risen  Lord.  May  we  not,  then,  call 
this  the  Ascension  in  Galilee  ?  And  just  as  the  parting 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives  left  as  its  deepest  impression 
the  withdrawal  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  with  the  promise 
of  His  return  in  like  manner,  so  the  parting  on  the 
mount  in  Galilee  left  as  its  deepest  impression  not  the 
withdrawal  of  the  human  form,  but  the  permanent  abid- 
ing of  the  Divine  Spirit — a  portion  of  the  truth  of  the 
Ascension  quite  as  important  as  the  other,  and  even 
more  inspiring.  No  wonder  that  the  great  announce- 
ment which  is  to  be  the  Christian's  title-deed,  for  all 
ages  to  come,  cf  Gcd's  unspeakable  gift,  should  be 
introduced  with  a  summons  to  adoring  wonder:  " Lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

The  Gospel  ends  by  removing  from  itself  all  limita- 
tions of  time   and  space    extending   the   day    of  the 

29 


45©  THE  GOSrEL   OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Incarnation  to  "all  the  days,"  enlarging  the  Holy  Land 
to  embrace  all  lands.  The  times  of  the  Son  of  man 
are  widened  so  as  to  embrace  all  times.  The  great 
name  Immanuel  (i.  23)  is  now  fulfilled  for  all  the 
nations  and  for  all  the  ages.  For  what  is  this  finished 
Gospel  but  the  interpretation,  full  and  clear  at  last, 
of  that  great  Name  of  the  old  covenant,  the  name 
Jehovah  :  "  I  am,"  "  I  am  thai  I  am  "  (Exod.  iii.  14)  ? 
All  of  the  Old  Testament  revelation  is  gathered  up  in 
this  final  utterance,  "I  am — with  you";  and  it  has  in 
it  by  anticipation  all  that  will  be  included  in  that  last 
word  of  the  risen  Saviour :  "1  am  Alpha  and  Omega, 
the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  First  and  the  Last" 
(Rev.  xxii.  13). 

This  last  sentence  of  the  Gospel  distinguishes  the 
life  of  Jesus  from  all  other  histories,  biographies,  or 
"  remains."  It  is  the  one  "  Life "  in  all  literature. 
These  years  were  not  spent  "  as  a  tale  that  is  told." 
The  Lord  Jesus  lives  in  His  gospel,  so  that  all  who 
receive  His  final  promise  may  catch  the  light  of  His 
eye,  feel  the  touch  of  His  hand,  hear  the  tones  of  His 
voice,  see  for  themselves,  and  become  acquainted  with 
Him  Whom  to  know  is  Life  Eternal.  Fresh  and  new, 
and  rich  and  strong,  for  "  all  the  days,"  this  Gospel  is 
not  the  record  of  a  past,  but  the  revelation  of  a  present 
Saviour,  of  One  Whose  voice  sounds  deep  and  clear 
across  all  storms  of  life :  "  Fear  not :  I  am  the  First 
and  the  Last :  I  am  He  that  liveth  and  was  dead;  and 
behold  I  am  alive  for  evermore." 


Date  Due 


